Mr. Miller's BLOG
A tough summer on MadisonPosted on August 11, 2009
Whether we believe that what's happened this summer in Chicago has gotten blown out of proportion or not - the bottom line is that the Blackhawks have been hammered with negative publicity. A big black eye vs. a little one is still a black eye; a bunch of small media-hits can certainly add up to something big in the mind of the public.
Hossa, his selfish history, his contract, his lack of a physical, lies coming from the organization, starting the season on the injured list, all followed by an NHL investigation is not good no matter how it's spun.
The demotion of the GM - after the team's best season in over a decade - surely raised an eyebrow or two as well. Then consider McEgo's remark afterwards about the age difference between Tallon and Bowman. Again, unneeded negative media exposure.
Kane's arrest - although it may prove to be a non-issue, put him and the organization on the front page of every newspaper in the area with a mug shot and headlines of felony charges. Even with the media retracting some of the initial sting of those stories still doesn't take away from the image left in people's minds.
Even something like questioning the shutdown of the 'official' boards after the Hossa and Kane stories - something that should have little or no consequence at all - plays into the overall image of the Blackhawks this summer.
Obviously it comes down to a matter of perspective. Some fans might not think of the accumulation of what's happened as "bad", but I think they're in the minority. Between the media hits, the fan backlash and now the legal quandary - I'm quite sure the brass on Madison (Karpotsev'd) themselves and have been scrambling quite alot these past couple of months.
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