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De-icing A Great Brand

"Hawks Lead (the NHL) In Attendance."  Now there's a surprising headline.  Yes, I'm a Blackhawks' fan but I also like a good turnaround tale, especially one with a provisional happy ending.

The resurgent Hawks prove how quickly a brand can be resurrected from decades of callous mistreatment and outright stupidity.  Bad business decisions off the ice and bad player decisions on, haughty refusals to build a TV audience, disdain for a rich legacy...and yet fans never really left.  

Oh sure, they stopped buying tickets and attending games.  And they COULDN'T watch most games on TV even if they were so inclined.  But the loyalty fires ran deep, thankfully, and never went out entirely.  You can say the Hawks are lucky. They TRIED to drive loyalists away and were 'this' close to succeeding.  

What a difference a year makes.  Intelligence and passion are replacing old-school stupidity.  TV audiences are up 78%, players are once again household names and the United Center is filled to capacity.  Rockin'!

Maybe I'll see you there.  We'll cheer for another happy ending - on the scoreboard.  Against the Redwings.


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