It’s been a trying handful of years for fans, with losses on the ice and in the locker room piling up year after year.
But the arrival of last summer dramatically changed the vibe of both the roster and the fan base, even
as the team endured a franchise-record 53 losses (59 if you count overtime losses). This year’s fan survey was
designed to see if the good feelings are carrying over to Bedard’s second season.
The results are in, and with the worst of the rebuild (hopefully) in the past, optimism still reigns among Blackhawks
fans — to an extent, and with some caveats. Let’s dive right in, with our quick thoughts in italics and your comments immediately following.
overall liked what I’ve seen from him, but he can’t get a 5 after selling ad space
on the jersey. I know, I know, every team is going to do it eventually, it’s free money for ownership and thus the
players so the CBA will never disallow it, but I still hate it with a burning passion.”
• “Prior to this season, I had faith that Danny would be different from his dad
and his grandfather before him. But during his tenure, the Hawks have had at least two more lawsuits come up against
them (one related to 2010, and one from a former contractor), they’ve botched hires (see promoting Bowman and
allowing him to continue as GM during the investigation), and they’ve isolated members of the LGBTQ+ community by
making Pride jerseys optional. I still have some hope for Danny, but patience is running thin.”
