We’re a month away from the start of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, and fans are already starting to circle the games they’re most looking forward to.
The Chicago Blackhawks, in association with the league and its American broadcast partners in ESPN and TNT, announced on Aug. 29 that the team would appear on national television 15 times between the two networks throughout the season. For a franchise that’s finished near the bottom of the standings for three consecutive seasons, including a 23-53-6 record with 52 points and the second-worst record in the entire league in 2023-24, it’s hard to imagine nearly a fifth of your season being played in front of a national audience.
But when your team has a generational talent like Connor Bedard, the 2023 first-overall pick whose talent we saw just a glimpse of through rookie season, you’re always going to be near the top of the bill. Your name doesn’t have to be Patrick for you to be considered Showtime.
Related: Blackhawks 2024-25 Season Schedule: 10 Games to Circle
With that in mind, I’ve looked through the list of games the national audiences will have to see Bedard and the rebuilding squad, and I’ve put together a list of the ones that will be a must-watch. Here are the top five nationally broadcast Blackhawks games to watch in 2024-25.
Side note: if you want a longer list filled with both local and national games on the schedule, read my THW colleague Gail Kauchak’s list of her 10 games to circle on the schedule!
Utah Hockey Club – Oct. 8
Opening night – need we say more? Oh, we do? Well then, picture this: Blackhawks fans will get their first look at a lineup full of budding young talent like Bedard, Philipp Kurashev, Alex Vlasic and Kevin Korchinski, plus a handful of fresh-face veterans that joined Chicago in the offseason: Tyler Bertuzzi, Alec Martinez, and T.J. Brodie – those are some serious NHL chops.
Oh, and how often do you get to say you were the first group that a new team in the league played?* Not only do you get a chance to be part of history, but you get a chance to hand them their first loss in franchise history! Win-win, baby!
Related: Celebrating Blackhawks Netminders for NHL Goaltender Week
*Yes, we know Utah Hockey Club (HC) isn’t a new club, they’re the relocated Arizona Coyotes. But this is my…
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