With all the roster turnover this offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks have several players experiencing their first home opener in a Hawks sweater Friday against the Detroit Red Wings — but that doesn’t mean they’re unfamiliar with the United Center experience.
Take Jason Dickinson, for example.
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Dickinson played his first Hawks game Saturday in San Jose, Calif., but past visits as a member of the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks left an impression.
“The first time I played here, nobody warned me about the anthem,” he said. “And it kind of caught me by surprise at first, but every single time it’s electric.
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“It’s one of my favorite experiences, pregame. Even as a visiting player it gets the blood going and gets you excited. I’m super excited to be on this side of it.”
It was similar for Andreas Athanasiou. Even though he was once the enemy as a Red Wing for nearly five seasons, he appreciated the traditions, particularly Jim Cornelison singing the national anthem.
“My first exhibition game, I remember once they started going during that anthem, it gives me chills a little bit and just gets you pretty fired up,” he said.
Patrick Kane will be playing his 555th home game but it still is “always exciting.”
Kane observes a tradition of flipping a puck into the stands at the end of warmups.
“I think just the new season and playing in front of the crowd, like the full crowd, for the first time is exciting for a game that means something,” Kane said. “Just everything that goes with the player introductions, being out there in warmups, playing your first game at home, it’s a good feeling.”
CEO Danny Wirtz put it simply: “It’s Friday night against Detroit, right? You can’t beat that.”
Here are five changes to know about the United Center this season.
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President of business operations Jaime Faulkner didn’t want to play spoiler, but she teased some additions to the pregame show (it is suggested fans be in their seats by 7:25 p.m.).
“We are improving and enhancing what I’m going to call the show before puck drops,” she said. “So once you’re in your seats and the lights go out, we’re going to add some elements to what they will see before puck drop and we will actually change that throughout the year, so it feels different and new. It’s not the same show every time you come.
“And then once the game starts, we will have more music … (and) content that our fans will see in-game. We are certainly going to use the player- and puck-tracking data. There’s a lot of fun ways to show how hard our players are working on the ice.”
Faulkner didn’t want to go into detail about what other new elements fans will see, but she said, “Our fans are used to sitting in the seat and watching a show on the video board. This year they will get to see a combination of fun things happening in-arena incorporated into an incredible video.”
The fantasy sports wager site has opened a two-story space lounge in the south side of the United Center atrium, accessible through the East Atrium.
The space features movie-theater-style chairs, 1,300 square feet of LED screens and a bar. It will be open three hours before Hawks and Bulls games, and an hour afterward.
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It’s first-come, first-serve to fans who have tickets to the game and families can bring children — for now, while there’s no betting. The lounge’s license applications are under review by the Illinois Gaming Board.
Expect to see several “Dashery” store locations on the 200 and 300 levels.
Like the 1800 Market on the 100 level, created as part of a partnership with Amazon, fans can swipe in with a credit card, grab the items they want and leave. Amazon’s technology will automatically charge the card if the items are taken out of the store.
Faulkner said this helps solve how to get 300-level fans food and beverages “very quickly.”
The Bulls and Hawks are “very focused on creating a very great experience on the 300 level. And this is one of our first steps to do that,” she said.
The locations are in Sections 213 and 230 and near the 100- and 300-level escalators and stairwells.
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The Hawks and Goose Island teamed up to create Blackhawks Pale Ale.
The United Center and Levy Restaurants typically revamp the menu each season, and this season’s chef crafted new items specific to the FanDuel Sportsbook Lounge.
Offerings include spicy pork nachos, a “FanDuel Burger” and smoked gouda bacon dip. A couple popular items during the preview tour were the Wagyu hot dogs and the black cherry old fashioned cocktail…
The Hawks want to welcome back more alumni, particularly as several of the Stanley Cup-era players retire.
Doors open at 3 p.m. for a pregame party in the atrium. Fans can line up on Madison Street to watch alumni walk a red carpet, and the first 3,000 spectators will receive rally towels.
“(Éric) Dazé is here,” Faulkner said. “(Adam) Burish will be here. (Andrew) Shaw will be here. In fact, we have Shaw lined up to bartend and see fans, so he’s going to be very active.
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“Some of them are going to be walking the red carpet and be part of our red carpet show. Ed Belfour is going to be here. There are a number of them that are going to be back in the building that night.”