Report: Wirtz could sell Blackhawks

[Guy Legend]

Just imagine if this came to fruition.....

According to a report Friday by the Toronto Star, Wirtz is waiting to see who will be selected to lead the players union this summer before he decides whether to continue his association with the league or sell the Blackhawks.

''If the union hired someone like Bob, who just says you're lying whenever you say you're losing money, I'd put the team up for sale,'' Wirtz told the Star. ''And I think that might cause other owners to look at their own investments.''

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/352147,CST-SPT-hawk21.article

Click to read more...

 

[Rotang]

It's time to start the healing process.

 

[Toonces]

There may be a God after all.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Total bullcrap. Complete and total. If you believe for a nanosecond that he loses money owning the Hawks after concessions, parking, and recieving 50% of the profit the United Center makes for all events, I've got some magic beans to sell you.

 

[Speedtrials]

I really feel bad that Blackhawk fans have an owner like him. It seems he doesn't care about the fans whatsoever. I still cant believe they don't televise home games. They do have a nice young core, and the first pick overal, there day will come, and they will be a good team again.

 

[HansH]

Just imagine if this came to fruition.....



http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/352147,CST-SPT-hawk21.article

Quick, NHLPA, hire back Goodenow... now! For the good of the sport!

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Instead of the Pens, maybe Cuban could buy the Hawks.

 

[Classic Devil]

Please. Sell.

Chicago was once a hockey town and it can be again if they just... get rid... of Wirtz.

 

[Namso]

get goodenow back asap!

 

[Pepper]

Those hardcore Blackhawks fans deserve better than a cheap POS like Wirtz.

I'm actually rooting for NHLPA to hire a hawk just to see Wirtz out of NHL.

 

[Oilers Ent]

Please let this happen. Although I am not a Chicago fan this could be the best thing to happen for the team.

 

[Sotnos]

Total bullcrap. Complete and total. If you believe for a nanosecond that he loses money owning the Hawks after concessions, parking, and recieving 50% of the profit the United Center makes for all events, I've got some magic beans to sell you.

I don't buy it either. For years we hear how the team's always in the black due to Wirtz' control over every aspect of the team, NOW he says he's losing money and he'll take his toys and go home if he doesn't like the next head of the NHLPA? Yeah right.

 

[Jazz]

I really feel bad that Blackhawk fans have an owner like him. It seems he doesn't care about the fans whatsoever. I still cant believe they don't televise home games. They do have a nice young core, and the first pick overal, there day will come, and they will be a good team again.

It is also detrimental to the league's television ratings to have one of the US's 3 signature markets (NY & LA being the other 2) grow ambivalent to the game.

The Rangers are doing well now, and the Kings will turn the corner with their youth. Now once the healing in Chicago will begin once Wirtz is out of the picture, the sooner the TV ratings for the NHL will start to take a big step.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Even if they are losing money, that's their fault for paying salaries in excess of revenue...

 

[MAROONSRoad]

It is also detrimental to the league's television ratings to have one of the US's 3 signature markets (NY & LA being the other 2) grow ambivalent to the game.

The Rangers are doing well now, and the Kings will turn the corner with their youth. Now once the healing in Chicago will begin once Wirtz is out of the picture, the sooner the TV ratings for the NHL will start to take a big step.

This is what would concern me the most if I was the NHL, lagging interest in the large, traditional US markets. The figures we have seen reported this year for local television ratings in NYC and LA are terrible. From my memory (see NHL TV Rating and Revenue thread for more accurate numbers), these are ball park figures for the number of household watching regular season games:

the Rangers: 35,000
the Devils and Islanders: 10,000 to 20,000
the Ducks: 20,000 (which was a big improvement over last season)

[To put this in perspective, the Oilers by contrast get over 100,000 viewers in a city just over 1 million people.]

I have no idea what the Blackhawks local TV numbers are, but they only show a limited number of home games in Chicago and I read somewhere recently that they have to pay to have their games broadcasted on radio.

Then you look at Boston, another large and traditional market, and the interest seems to be lacking there as well.

If these large and mature markets are faultering, how will hockey maintain the image as a major sport in the USA amongst the casual fan and in the newer, smaller and less traditional markets?

GHOST

 

[GernerPSU]

the Rangers: 35,000
the Devils and Islanders: 10,000 to 20,000
the Ducks: 20,000 (which was a big improvement over last season)

[To put this in perspective, the Oilers by contrast get over 100,000 viewers in a city just over 1 million people.]

Do you have a source for this? Reading it literally you are comparing viewers and homes.

 

[MAROONSRoad]

Do you have a source for this? Reading it literally you are comparing viewers and homes.

All this data can be found in the thread, "NHL TV Ratings and Revenue" in this Business of Hockey section.

Actually, if my memory is correct, Edmonton averaged over 150,000 viewers this year so I tried to be conservative in my statement. The question of how ratings are reported in Canada versus the USA is one I'd like to try find a clear answer to. The numbers are now provided by Nielsen Media Research (in the USA) and BBM Nielsen Media Research (in Canada). Generally, in Canada the audience figure is given as viewers, while in USA it refers to households. The figures I have seen where the rating and viewer numbers were given in certain news reports on USA TV numbers imply the household figure should be multiplied by something in the range of 1.3 or 1.5 to account for more than one viewer in one household.

GHOST

 

[One Winged Angel]

All Wirtz ever does is complain about losing money. How could you lose that much money when you don't even have a TV contract for the team? They don't televise their own home games. I've had center ice for the past few seasons, and I've never once seen a Blackhawks Game televised on a Chicago-based station. If Chicago plays Montreal, boy am I screwed, because I'm stuck trying to learn French within a 3-hour span, watching the RDS telecast, thanks to Good Ol' Billy.

Bill Wirtz is an abomination to Chicago, Chicago Sports, and sports in general. It's owners like him, Wayne Huizenga, and Jeffrey Loria, who claim losses and pick-pocket money from revenue sharing all to themselves, and do nothing for the team that bring down sports. Owners like Wirtz - who cried non-stop for a salary cap, but has done nothing to take advantage of it - are the reason why the NHL was in financial dire straits. There are a few other owners that screwed the NHL big time, - McNall, Marino, the Rigas Family, etc... - but none of them pale in comparison to Bill Wirtz, who is a full-blown masochist, who needs to sell the team to someone who gives a flying ****.

I look back at the Chicago Blackhawks of the early-mid 90's, and they were a once great team. Now, when you mention the Hawks, it's usually in a discussion for worst team in the league.

Here's to hoping they draft Patrick Kane, and Bill Wirtz sells the team.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

...imagine the party Blackhawk fans everywhere would have if this is happened.

 

[ChompChomp]

Just imagine if this came to fruition.....



http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/352147,CST-SPT-hawk21.article

Maybe someone can buy them and move the team to KC.

Then we'll see if KC supports them. It would be easy for them to support the Penguins or Predators, teams already good, but how a team that moves there but is currently a cellar-dweller.

Maybe just like the KC Outlaws (brought back semi-pro hockey to KC in 2004, gone less than a year later, nobody in KC ever heard of it or gave it a chance), the Blackhawks could move there and move somewhere else in a hurry.

 

[EbencoyE]

Maybe just like the KC Outlaws (brought back semi-pro hockey to KC in 2004, gone less than a year later, nobody in KC ever heard of it or gave it a chance),

Maybe because it was semi-pro?

KC considers itself a major league town.

 

[HansH]

Maybe just like the KC Outlaws (brought back semi-pro hockey to KC in 2004, gone less than a year later, nobody in KC ever heard of it or gave it a chance)

GRRRRRR.... I HATE when people make this mistake -- it's a real pet peeve.

Minor pro hockey is FULLY professional hockey -- it's not "semi-pro", it's not "beer league". Players make their living playing the game -- that's professional. Minor league? Absolutely. Semi-pro? Nope -- that's for the LNAH and the shady fly-by-night things masquerading as "single A hockey" in various incarnations over the last years (calling the NEHL!)

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

GRRRRRR.... I HATE when people make this mistake -- it's a real pet peeve.

Minor pro hockey is FULLY professional hockey -- it's not "semi-pro", it's not "beer league". Players make their living playing the game -- that's professional. Minor league? Absolutely. Semi-pro? Nope -- that's for the LNAH and the shady fly-by-night things masquerading as "single A hockey" in various incarnations over the last years (calling the NEHL!)

Would you state that Wirtz is semi-professional? Or just full blown unprofessional?

 

[HansH]

Would you state that Wirtz is semi-professional? Or just full blown unprofessional?

I'll take #2 for the win, Bob....