{"id":5367,"date":"2024-12-04T02:53:34","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T02:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=5367"},"modified":"2024-12-04T02:53:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T02:53:34","slug":"breaking-ni%c6%88k-foligno-wants-to-see-blackhawks-%c6%88ontinue-s%c6%88heduling-more-afternoon-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=5367","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Ni\u0188k Foligno wants to see Blackhawks \u0188ontinue s\u0188heduling more afternoon games"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hawks already host significantly more matinees than they used to, but their captain would like to see that number increase further to make it easier for kids to attend.<\/h2>\n

\"Nick<\/p>\n

The cacophony of screams was deafening after Blackhawks practice Saturday.<\/p>\n

That was because star Connor Bedard skated over to a crowd of hundreds of kids who had gathered to watch him at Fifth Third Arena and started tossing up some pucks.<\/p>\n

Across the rink, captain Nick Foligno\u2019s voice was drowned out until he finally paused.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018This is his demographic, his age group,\u2019\u2019 Foligno said a moment later. \u2018\u2018Why not make it so more of these kids can come to the game, instead of 7:30 at night on a Wednesday? It\u2019s just so dumb.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Foligno insisted those comments should be on the record. He feels strongly the NHL should schedule more afternoon games on weekends \u2014 in Chicago and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018We need more of them,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018With a guy like Connor Bedard on our team \u2014 and [considering how much] that age group loves him \u2014 I don\u2019t see why we don\u2019t play more. Especially once the NFL season is over, we should take that time slot, so more families can come to games. Kids can see one of the next great talents of the world. It makes the arena that much more packed, too.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The Hawks already have added significantly more afternoon games the last two seasons, although Foligno wasn\u2019t around before that to notice the difference.<\/p>\n

In 2019-20, the final season of John McDonough\u2019s presidency, the Hawks scheduled only one matinee (puck drop at 4 p.m. or earlier) out of 13 home games on Saturdays and Sundays. That remained the case as recently as 2022-23, when they again had only one matinee. During that era, most Sunday games started at 6 p.m. rather than 7:30, and that 90-minute difference supposedly made them more family-friendly.<\/p>\n

This season, however, seven of the Hawks\u2019 15 weekend home games are matinees (one of five Saturday games and six of 10 Sunday games). The first of those matinees took place Sunday against the Blue Jackets, and the second will be Saturday against the Jets.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Nick <\/picture>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
The Blackhawks\u2019 crowd for their first matinee of the season wasn\u2019t packed.Ben Pope\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

That number could be even higher, though. Beyond Foligno\u2019s theory about appealing to kids, Hawks players and staff would appreciate that for their own reasons.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018Teams don\u2019t really want to morning-skate anymore anyway, so why waste our time waiting around for a game at 7:30 when we don\u2019t do anything in the morning?\u2019\u2019 Foligno said. \u2018\u2018You get up and play, it gives you easier travel to the next place. And you can get a good night\u2019s sleep when you\u2019re not getting home at midnight.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The Flyers are the franchise most well-known for frequent matinees, but they scheduled only one more than the Hawks this season. Eight of 16 weekend home games in Philadelphia this season have early start times. The Bruins, whom Foligno mentioned specifically, will host seven weekend matinees this season, the same as the Hawks.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018It\u2019s great for an athlete,\u2019\u2019 Hawks coach Luke Richardson said. \u2018\u2018They get a full, proper meal [and] proper rest after a game, and you stay on more of a normal schedule.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

But Richardson also brought up the challenge of conflicts with college football and the NFL, and that\u2019s an astute point. In fact, that\u2019s pretty much why the number of matinees isn\u2019t higher.<\/p>\n

The Hawks always avoid scheduling their home games at the same time as Bears home games because they know that\u2019s not a battle they can win in terms of ticket sales and TV viewership. That policy eliminates almost half the Sunday afternoons in the fall.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s difficult for them to compete against the NFL in any form. The Bears didn\u2019t play at all Sunday, but the Hawks still drew their second-lowest attendance of the season \u2014 17,393 \u2014 at 2 p.m. against the Blue Jackets. The United Center felt oddly dead and quiet all afternoon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hawks already host significantly more matinees than they used to, but their captain would like to see that number increase further to make it easier for kids to attend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks","category-nfl","category-san-francisco-49ers"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Ni\u0188k Foligno wants to see Blackhawks \u0188ontinue s\u0188heduling more afternoon games - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=5367\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Ni\u0188k Foligno wants to see Blackhawks \u0188ontinue s\u0188heduling more afternoon games - 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