Fiserv Forum to host 1st NHL game, Blackhawks vs. Wild, on Oct. 2
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Fiserv Forum announced plans to host its first NHL game on Sunday, Oct. 2, when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Minnesota Wild in a preseason matchup.
The game will be the NHL's first in Milwaukee since 1993, according to a press release.
“We are excited to host the first NHL game at Fiserv Forum and welcome the return of NHL hockey to Milwaukee for the first time since 1993,” said Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin. “We look forward to hosting the Blackhawks and Wild as we continue to bring a variety of dynamic events to Fiserv Forum.”
“We are excited to bring the Blackhawks experience to our fans out of Chicago, and we can’t think of a better place to start than our incredible neighbors to the north,” said Jaime Faulkner, president of business operations at Chicago Blackhawks. “We’re hard at work designing a gameday fans won’t want to miss as the first NHL team to bring a game to Fiserv Forum in partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks and BMO.”
The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 2.
Sunday, Oct 2 is shaping up to be a great day for sports fans. The Brewers and Packers play at home, with the puck dropping at Fiserv Forum as the Packer game is scheduled to end.
Bucks President Peter Feigin says the Deer District will be open at 3pm for fans.
"If you're a sports fan then catch some baseball, watch an NHL game, and top it all off with the Packers game," he said.
Will Milwaukee fans welcome the Blackhawks to town? There's a rumor that Chicago cost Milwaukee their only chance at an NHL team. Admirals VP of communications Charlie Larson says the rumor has been around for decades
"I'm not sure where the rumor started, probably just to blame somebody," he said.
The story goes like this: The Bradley Center was built with an NHL team in mind, and the league was destined to award Milwaukee a franchise in 1992. But at the last second, Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz blocked Milwaukee, and the franchises were awarded to Ottawa and Tampa Bay.
"Bill Wirtz stopping the Admirals from joining the NHL is not true," Larson said.
Larson says the real reason a team isn't in Milwaukee is money. The expected $30 million expansion fee went up to $50 million dollars, which priced out Admirals owners Jane and Lloyd Petit, especially when they would have to invest that money in a team that would lose a lot of games.
"The Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning, those teams were terrible for a bunch of years," Larson said.
One news story is not going to change decades of a good conspiracy theory, so fans could always cheer for Minnesota on Oct 2.
Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, Aug. 5 beginning at 10 a.m. and can be purchased by clicking here.