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Patrick Roy impressed by ‘crazy’ Chicago fandom

Patrick Roy

Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy smiles as he takes questions after the Avalanche’s 6-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in a hockey game in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

AP

There’s a pretty good rivalry brewing in the Central Division between Chicago and Colorado but, according to Avs head coach Patrick Roy, it’s tough to compare the two fanbases right now.

Here’s more, from the Denver Post:

The subject of all those Blackhawk-red jerseys that were in the stands of the Pepsi Center Wednesday night came up in today’s press briefing with Patrick Roy. Hey, a sellout’s a sellout, but there is no doubt Roy and the Avs want to see more of their own jerseys in the stands from now on, especially if the Avs are to meet Chicago in the playoffs...

“Ten years ago or 12 years ago, there was nobody in Chicago at their games. I didn’t want to play those games because they were boring games,” Roy said. “It was 8,000 people and it was like ‘ughh.’ Even if they tried to be loud, at the national anthem, it was boring going in and playing there.

“Now, 10 years later I’m coming back and it’s crazy over there and they’re all over the place. Then, I think they’re a great example for us. I’m not saying the fans of Denver will follow our team like they do on the road, but I think it’s possible for us to create something close to that.”

There were 18,007 people in attendance for Colorao’s 3-2 win at the Pepsi Center on Thursday night, well above the Avs’ season average of 16,066.

Roy’s comment is just the latest example of a NHL city taking note of traveling Blackhawks fans. This past summer, the Blues announced four games on the 2013-14 schedule would not be available for single-game ticket purchases: Opening night Oct. 3 (Nashville), Oct. 9 (Chicago), Dec. 28 (Chicago) and Apr. 13 (Detroit).

Why those games?

Here’s more, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

The Blues are one of the NHL teams this season, including Nashville, which are requiring fans to buy tickets to multiple games in order to acquire them for meetings against Chicago.

In recent years, the Blackhawks have attracted huge crowds to Scottrade Center, at times taking over the in-game atmosphere, and that could continue after the ‘Hawks won their second Stanley Cup in four years in 2012-13.

As mentioned, Nashville also had a similar ticket initiative, designed to “keep the red out” of Bridgestone Arena.