Blackhawks attendance report reveals how much the franchise is struggling

Being the second-worst team in the Western Conference with no clear direction won't do much to entice fans to attend already very expensive games, even with the reputation of being a historic Original 6 team.

That's the situation that the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves in, even in the 2nd year of 2023 1st overall pick Connor Bedard.

During last night's 3-1 loss against the visiting Los Angeles Kings, the reported attendance at United Center was 16,981 - well short of a sellout. It also marked the 4th time this year that less than 17,000 fans.

At 20-40-9, the Blackhawks have 49 points - just 4 points ahead of the last-place San Jose Sharks. Not surprisingly, they were recently eliminated from any hope at the playoffs.

The Blackhawks experienced major attendance issues in the early and mid 2000s, routinely bringing in less than half of the 21,000 capacity for home games.

Of course, those were the days when notorious penny-pinching owner Bill Wirtz refused to allow home games to be televised.

But after the Blackhawks selected both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, things began turning around. The venue soon gained the reputation that was formerly held by Chicago Stadium as "The Madhouse on Madison" thanks to the roaring crowds and routine sellouts.

With 3 Stanley Cup wins (2010, 2013, 2015) in short order, every Blackhawks home game from March of 2008 to October of 2021 was sold out.