Blackhawks To Make 13 Appearances on National TV

Thirteen isn’t unlucky when a team has a potential generational player. The Chicago Blackhawks will be featured 13 times on national television, including opening night when they take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 10th.

US National TV Games for 2023/24 season, by team

• 62 exclusive games on TNT

• 100 games exclusive across multiple ESPN Networks:
– 16 on ABC
– 34 on ESPN
– 72 on ESPN+
– 50 on Hulu

📺 ESPN: https://t.co/limmlyXRnj
📺 TNT: https://t.co/5aILFPKSLc pic.twitter.com/uCh75QyI7l

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) August 30, 2023

The games featured on both TNT and ESPN breaks down to seven on the road and six at home. The TNT schedule will have five games that include:

• October 11th in Boston against the Bruins
• January 17th at Buffalo versus the rising Sabres
• January 24th at Seattle taking on the Kraken
• February 7th and 21st at home against Minnesota and Philadelphia respectively

ESPN will carry the other eight games that include:

• October 10th and 19th at Pittsburgh and Colorado respectively
• October 24th and November 16th vs  Boston and Tampa Bay at home respectively
• December 12th at Edmonton and January 9th vs Edmonton
• February 29th vs Colorado
• April 16th in Vegas in the next to last game of Chicago’s season

Winning the Lottery Puts the Blackhawks in the National Spotlight

Nine other teams play more games on national television than the Blackhawks and four of the Canadian teams (Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Ottawa) don’t have a single game in the spotlight. Toronto even has less games than Chicago, though they’re much closer to a Stanley Cup title.

The Blackhawks can thank winning the draft lottery, and taking Connor Bedard for getting 13 games this season. But last season, they actually clocked in at 14. Ever the good draw for ratings, they will likely explode as Bedard begins his NHL career against his idol and future hall of famer Sidney Crosby.

The intrigue will stay red hot throughout October and for as long as the Blackhawks keep games competitive and close.

While they’ll feature Bedard, the team is still going to be in rebuild mode. But they’ll still be a sight for fans in Chicago and across the league.

TNT and ESPN are certainly banking on that.