The man largely responsible for the streak was fired just days ago, the outlook for when games will resume is murky and the outlook for when fans will be able to attend those games is even murkier.
But technically, the Blackhawks can still safely mark down a 12th consecutive NHL attendance title.
When the 2019-20 season was paused on March 11, the Hawks had averaged 21,441 fans over their 34 home games at the United Center, topping the Canadiens’ average of 21,085 for the highest mark in hockey.
Taking outdoor games out of the equation, the Hawks have led the league in attendance every year since 2008-09 — also the same season the team’s ongoing 531-game sellout streak began.
And while there is increasing optimism league-wide that the 2019-20 regular season will be eventually resumed this summer, there’s little chance that resumption will take place in Chicago, and even lower odds that fans will be able to attend the rescheduled games.
After all, the logistics of hosting a crowd of 20,000-plus in the coronavirus era — not to mention the various governmental bans across the U.S. and Canada, including in Illinois, on large public gatherings — would simply be impossible.
Even looking ahead to 2020-21, it’s very possible that part or all of the season could be played without fans.
The NHL is already reportedly looking at another strange calendar for the coming season: if the 2020 Stanley Cup isn’t awarded until September, as the latest resumption plan suggests, the 2020-21 season might not start until December and might not end until July. And the league has no control over COVID-19 test and vaccine availability, both of which will have a huge impact on when spectators can return safely to large sporting arenas.
So the Hawks can chalk up the 2019-20 attendance title as theirs without much hesitation. But the fact that it could be a while before they get to defend that title somewhat overrides the positivity.
Plus, longtime team president John McDonough — widely credited as the mastermind behind the Hawks’ marketing and ticket sales dynasty that coincided with the team’s on-ice dynasty — is now gone after 13 years in the position.
Although much mystery about the reasons for McDonough’s Monday firing remain, the plummeting resale value of Hawks tickets and the starting-to-decline population of season ticket holders — two trends which threatened to perhaps soon break the sellout streak — may have been factors.
In other words, 2019-20 might ultimately prove the last year of league-leading attendance on Madison Street.
2019-20 Attendance Review
- This season’s average crowd of 21,441 represented a small increase over last season’s average of 21,339, ending a streak of four straight annual declines.
- The largest crowd (21,878) came when the Hawks hosted the Predators on Feb. 21, barely beating out the Nov. 29 Black Friday game against the Avalanche (21,822).
- The smallest crowd (21,172) came for the Hawks’ Oct. 22 loss to the Golden Knights.
- 21,275 attended the team’s final game, against the Sharks, before the season stopped.
- The average weekday crowd was 21,444, four more than the average weekend crowd of 21,440.
- Games versus divisional rivals were slightly more popular, drawing an average of 21,519 fans compared to 21,405 for non-divisional games.
- The Hawks had 19 home games start at 7:30 and averaged 21,435 fans at those games. They had 15 games start at other times (although just one before 6:00) and averaged 21,448 fans at those.
