Lisette Fabian wears her Blackhawks pride on her ears — as well as her shirt, cap and lapel.
“The Hawks are awesome,” Fabian, 33, said last week as she browsed the Blackhawks Store on Michigan Avenue.
When she got to the cash register, Fabian, of Portage Park, ponied up more than $50 for a Blackhawks pin, shirt, decal, cap and two sets of earrings — one for her and one for a fellow Hawks fan.
Chicago’s hockey team is in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1995, and Blackhawks fever is in full swing. Sports clothing retailers, broadcasters and the team told RedEye their numbers have spiked this season.
“It’s been flying out of the store,” said Judi Rothenberg, sales associate at FansEdge in Streeterville, of the store’s Blackhawks inventory.
Leading the pack at FansEdge is Hawks merchandise emblazoned with Patrick Kane’s name and number — Jonathan Toews collectibles trailing in second.
Todd Kaplan, 36, grew up watching the Bears alongside his dad and brother, so it wasn’t until later that he became a hockey fan, a sport he enjoys because it has the ability to unite Chicago, unlike the city’s two baseball teams.
“I just wanted something to represent,” Kaplan, of Lincoln Park, said as he left the Blackhawks Store with a white cap featuring the Blackhawks logo.
Just like hockey itself, the bottom line is in the numbers. Here’s a look at some of the key areas where the Hawks have excelled this season.
– – –
14,000
Season tickets sold this season, breaking the old record of 13,425.
100
Percent increase in Comcast ratings for regular-season games over last season.
300
Percent increase in jersey sales over November ’07. Sales up 25 percent from last year.
3
NHL rank of Blackhawks merchandise sales in 2009. Kane’s and Toews’ jerseys rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in individual sales.
Regular-season ticket sales and percentage change
(average per game in parentheses)
(percent change with 2005-06 season as baseline)
* beat 1995-96 record of 835,971
2005-06
546,075
(13,318)
2006-07
521,809
(12,727)
(-4.4 percent)
2007-08
689,377
(16,814)
(+26.2 percent)
2008-09
871,337*
(21,783)
(+59.6 percent)
135,583
Playoff ticket sales throughfirst two rounds
1,006,920
Total tickets sold this season
(not including conference finals)
Most popular Blackhawks jerseys
Percentages apply to Blackhawks sales only, not overall NHL sales.
PATRICK KANE
21 percent
JONATHAN TOEWS
19 percent
PATRICK SHARP
14 percent
MARTIN HAVLAT
8 percent
KRIS VERSTEEG
4 percent
ADAM BURISH
4 percent
OTHER PLAYERS
30 percent
