In case you hadn’t noticed, the hype for Connor Bedard is real. The excitement around the presence of the 18-year-old started more than a month before he was even drafted. When it was announced that the Blackhawks had won the NHL lottery and would pick first overall in the 2023 Draft, the team made $5.2 million in season ticket revenue in less than 12 hours. He’s had by far the highest-selling jersey since June according to the league’s official online shop. He’s drawn comparisons to prospects like Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, and even TV stations have understandably been hyper-focused around the first-overall pick – there was a Bedard Iso-Cam option available for the Blackhawks’ second game, which exclusively showed Bedard’s shifts that night.
The team is continuing to heavily market its new superstar, and it’s working. For the most recent evidence of the hype in Chicago around the youngster, one only needs to try to snag a ticket to tonight’s home opener against the Golden Knights. With an average ticket price of $209 now, get-in costs continue to soar, according to Vivid Seats. On the same service, the cheapest ticket is currently going for $84, and that’s before taxes and fees. To see Bedard & Co. tonight, fans will have to cough up a minimum of $110 and change.
Sure, one can argue that ticket prices are currently soaring because the defending champions are coming to town, but Chicago hockey fans could care less. With their “golden boy” playing in a regular-season game for the first time in his career in the United Center, the arena is the place to be tonight. The energy is sure to be electric, and one may want to bring earplugs for when public address announcer Gene Honda reads Bedard’s name for the first time in pregame introductions.
The Blackhawks are doing their best to ensure that the steep price will be worth it for fans with a barrage of pregame events beginning hours before the puck drops. At 3 p.m., “pregame festivities” will begin, and red carpet arrivals will take place at 4:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats a few minutes early for an opening show that is sure to have the arena rocking, including a tribute to late chairman Rocky Wirtz.
Blackhawks fans will undoubtedly get plenty of chances to catch a glimpse of Connor Bedard in the United Center throughout his career, but his home debut is set to draw a nearly unprecedented crowd. Perhaps Bedard will even be able to capitalize on the energy in the building and give fans the offensive production they came to see.
