There were two reactions to the NHL’s Draft Lottery Monday night.
Fans of 31 NHL teams are convinced the lottery was rigged. That very topic, “NHL Rigged,” became a viral item on Twitter.
Meanwhile, fans of the other NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, are celebrating the team’s good fortune in winning the N0. 1 overall pick and the rights to select star prospect Connor Bedard.
And those fans wasted no time whipping out their credit cards and online payment apps to buy season tickets. Sports business insider Darren Rovell reported that in the first 90 minutes after the Blackhawks earned the No. 1 pick, the team sold $2.5 million in season tickets for 2023-24.
No signs of stopping in Chicago.
The Blackhawks since getting the No. 1 pick, and the rights to what will surely be Connor Bedard, have sold more than 500 full season tickets worth over $2.5 million.
That’s a pace of revenue of $28,000 a minute. https://t.co/4bb3rizaI1
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 9, 2023
The Blackhawks ranked 30th out of 32 NHL teams last season in attendance percentage to capacity, averaging 17,167 fans per game.
For Blackhawks fans, who suffered through a 26-49-7 season, the draft lottery news and the expected selection of Bedard are a reason to get excited and buy tickets. But the ticket sales explosion gave other NHL fans something to complain about on Twitter. The NHL and the Blackhawks became hot topics on Twitter Monday night.
Oh nice Chicago won the draft lottery, surely everyone on NHL Twitter thinks the draft lottery is fair and totally not rigged, right? pic.twitter.com/rIOxBalGYf
— Ty France is Back (@welovetyfrance) May 9, 2023
Officially a #Blackhawks season ticket holder.
— Tony Marchese (@TonyOnTap) May 9, 2023
I knew renewing my season tickets would be worth it 😭
— stks n pucks (@whyetbwkyeto) May 9, 2023
They were right in the middle of the league this year in attendance despite a garbage team
— Trip McNeely (@thetripmcneely) May 9, 2023
Chicago fans notorious front runners
— Nelson (@BelgerNelson) May 9, 2023
this isn’t an insult. who wants to pay top dollar to watch a horrible hockey product? the only hawks game I went to this year was when they played Edmonton.
— Patrick Patel (@HotRodBlago30) May 9, 2023
“Sir, this is the Chicago Blackhawks Ticket Office. Can we interest you in season tickets?” pic.twitter.com/IFIOfA01GJ
— Charlie Fillenwarth (@illinifan1280) May 9, 2023
Pretty sure the #Blackhawks will have to bring back the Season Ticket Waiting List soon and it will be hard to find tickets again. I guess that's a good thing….
— Faux George McCaskey *Parody* (@FauxMcCaskey) May 9, 2023
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.