The Chicago Blackhawks’ could owe fans for playoff berth

The Chicago Blackhawks are most-likely going to be gifted a playoff spot, which could be due to their fans, adding more eyes on the playoffs.

As the league creeps towards a plan for salvaging this year’s season, it appears that the Chicago Blackhawks may be gifted a berth in the playoffs. As Friedman pointed out in the video in NBC’s article, Chicago, like Montreal, is a team that will help get people watching the playoffs.

So why not invite the Blackhawks to the party?

Some people might say that this is all “unfair”. Maybe they have a point, but during a normal year the Blackhawks likely wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs. As it stands, this is a very flawed team, and likely isn’t capable of a deep playoff run.

Most importantly here, the NHL is a business.

The Chicago Blackhawks are so popular as a team that the league is comfortable betting that having Chicago involved in the tournament, even if it is only for a little while, will make the playoffs a success.

The tournament probably will have to be a broadcast-only affair, so including Chicago means ratings, and that means money.

But really, this is a testament to how great the fans are for the Chicago Blackhawks. If the team wins it all this year, then the Blackhawks organization would literally owe their involvement in the post-season to their dedicated fans.

How incredible is that?

And let’s be clear, there are fans all over the NHL that are so sick of Toews, Kane, and the rest of the team right down to the logo that people would likely line up and actively cheer against Chicago.

Yet, If the Blackhawks can take care of the McDavid/Draisatl show in the first round, then they should be ready to have a real shot at the cup.

At this point, why not? The team had improbably managed to scrape their way back into the playoff picture anyway. If Chicago is simply going to be handed a shot at the Stanley Cup, then why not make the absolute most of it?

Even if it seems like the longest shot possible right now, how cool would it be to prove all the haters wrong?