Blackhawks' attendance pacing above last season so far, but fans won't stay patient forever

Declining attendance has been a hot-button topic around the NHL in recent weeks, and the Blackhawks have been cited as one of several relevant examples.

A sparse crowd of 15,028 on Oct. 15 against the Jets — the Hawks' smallest in more than three years — was what really got national attention.

But through the Hawks' first eight home games this season, their overall attendance is actually up from last year. They've averaged 17,926 tickets distributed per game, compared to 17,324 through their first eight home games last season.

They sold out their home opener, which didn't happen last year, and they nearly sold out Oct. 23 against the Canadiens, as well.

Plus, that Jets game marks the only time they've fallen below 16,000 so far — something that happened twice last October. Their home-stand finale Tuesday against the Kings seemed a likely candidate to end up in the 15,000s (or worse), but strong day-of ticket sales lifted it to a respectable 16,437.

October is always the most difficult month for NHL teams to sell tickets, but it's worth noting the difference was particularly dramatic for the Hawks last season.

Attendance rose sharply around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and remained pretty strong throughout the second half of the season. That ticked their final average all the way up to 18,949 per game, which ranked fifth in the NHL and set a new post-pandemic high-water mark for the Hawks.

So if attendance doesn't rise as sharply this season, the Hawks could fall behind last season's pace. They still have five more home games to get through — four of which fall on weeknights — before Thanksgiving arrives, and they have fewer December home games than usual due to their Germany trip.

Around the league, the ends of the Golden Knights' and Oilers' sellout streaks have gotten lots of publicity, sparking conversations about franchises pricing out loyal fans in uncertain economic times.

The Devils and Canucks (unsurprisingly) have also seen attendance declines compared to this time last year, while the Sabres have ridden their long-awaited playoff berth last spring to join the league's sellout-every-night tier.

In Chicago, prices have certainly increased over the years — not only for tickets but also for concessions and parking, the latter being a hot-button topic in part because of steep price increases enforced by the United Center.

I would argue fan sentiment toward the on-ice product currently poses a stronger threat to Hawks attendance than prices do, though.

The timing of the Hawks' Centennial Season last season was advantageous for the team's sales department. All of the special events, alumni appearances and advertising around the city provided insurance against fan fatigue toward losing; big crowds were essentially guaranteed for a number of games.

With the Connor Bedard novelty factor having worn off and the Centennial festivities concluded, this season initially seemed like a make-or-break point for the Hawks to start wooing fans with genuine on-ice improvement.

The excitement surrounding Patrick Kane's return evidently bought them a little more time, however, considering attendance has remained passable despite the team's poor start (although they are 4-4 at home vs. 0-4 on the road).

Perhaps now that make-or-break point has been pushed to the spring, or to 2027-28. Regardless, it's coming eventually.

The great size and devotion of the Hawks' fan base made this long rebuild economically viable from the start — it wouldn't have been in smaller markets — but the franchise can only exploit those things for so long.

They owe it to fans to start delivering a better product soon. If they don't, the consequences will become increasingly visible when looking around the United Center.

I believe the Hawks do vividly understand that (at all levels of the organization), but it's now a matter of actually making it happen.