It just got much worse for Blackhawks fans with the Chicago Sports Network streaming
Chicago BlackHawks fans took to the X platform and expressed their continued anger over the blackouts that have plagued their television sets which spread to NHL Center Ice on Xfinity.
This current issue along with the flawed rollout of CHSN on October 1st has angered and disappointed fans and may have reached a boiling point. The NHL Centre Ice package has been a mainstay with the National Hockey League for many years and has now locked out Blackhawks fans from the package they've paid for.
It's been well documented that CHSN has not been able to negotiate a carriage agreement to help spread the reach for the Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and White Sox after both ownership groups decided to create their own network after NBC decided to disband its regional coverage of all three teams.
Other NHL teams have been having blackout issues for several years especially when teams are near one another in proximity. The NHL's explanation is that they look for fans to drive to the arena and to watch the games live rather than from their television sets if they're in the designated area.
In my opinion it's an archaic system that needs to be removed as other professional leagues including the NFL have learned and made the right choice after creating several options for fans to pay to watch their games and have no blackouts.
I firmly believe the NHL should allow teams to broadcast their games no matter where they are in the country let alone the continent to maximize their reach and help new fans watch the games even if they are not even in the same country such as Canada where there are many Blackhawks fans.
It remains to be seen on how all this will play out and if the Blackhawks can sort out their issues with CHSN. But for the time being, fans will continue to struggle to see their beloved Blackhawks as others control who can watch and who can't.
| POLL | ||
How frustrated are you with this ongoing issue with CHSN and the NHL blackouts of the Blackhawks? | ||
| Extremely frustrated | 295 | 81 % |
| Quite frustrated | 18 | 4.9 % |
| I want NBC Chicago Sports back | 51 | 14 % |
| List of polls | ||
