Just three years ago, the names Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were unrecognizable to most Chicagoans. The Madhouse on Madison always had extra tickets to home hockey games; and when Chelsea Dagger was played, it was on the radio, and not associated with the Blackhawks scoring a goal.

Now, the Chicago Blackhawks have garnered support from the entire city – they are Chicago’s team. Kane and Toews are household names printed on the backs of thousands of jerseys. Chelsea Dagger’s song indicates a goal, or a even better – a win – and causes mass hysteria and dancing throughout the United Center, in the local tavern and in living rooms across Chicago, and the state.

The United Center has sold out over 100 consecutive Blackhawks games, causing tickets to become pricey and almost impossible to come by. Hawks fans are coming out of the woodwork, and with two straight trips to the playoffs, the bandwagon is overflowing. Restaurants and bars proudly fly the Blackhawks flag, and are drawing hundreds of fans for each game, and sports stores struggle to keep Hawks apparel on the shelves.

Jeff Dano, a bartender and server for the Buffalo Wild Wings in Woodridge, Ill., said the increase of Blackhawks fans is incredible, and with each game and each win, there are more fans.

“Two-and-a-half years ago hardly anyone would come in for Hawks games,  it was all Cubs and Sox,” Dano said. “Now, you just see every TV on the Blackhawks.”

The demand caused Buffalo Wild Wings to create food and drink specials during the games, bringing in more fans and creating an atmosphere for Blackhawk hockey.

“We try to do food specials, and a lot of Buffalo Wild Wings have giveaways with the Hawks organization,” Dano said.

Giveaways include jerseys and t-shirts, and oftentimes a representative from the Blackhawks organization will be in attendance to greet fans, and hand out prizes.

While Buffalo Wild Wings gives credit to the Blackhawks for filling their seats, Toby McCaw, manager and bartender at Curly’s Grill in Glen Ellyn, attributes the rise in attendance to the Blackhawks fan base he has built over the years.

A self-proclaimed diehard fan, McCaw said he understands that the victories are not the only part in bring in more fans.

“They’re making such great runs in the playoffs, and have world-class players such as Toews, Kane and (Marian) Hossa,” he said.

Brett Gorski, manager at Sports Fan in Wheaton, said the biggest beneficiaries to the Blackhawks success is the retail industry. He said Hawks merchandise is outselling all other Chicago team apparel in his store, and is “flying off the shelves.”

“Three years ago, we had not even a quarter of the (Blackhawks) stuff we have now. It didn’t sell,” Gorski said. “Now it’s unbelievable. They’re the hottest selling items that we have.”

The increased fan base comes with winning, Chis Olds, 24, from Woodridge said. It’s about winning games, and making playoff runs.

He said when the organization went and picked up Toews and Kane, and in the off-season signed Marian Hossa, fans realized they were serious about winning.

“They’re a young, energetic and fun team to watch,” Olds said.

McCaw agreed. But said the real change didn’t come with new players, it came with new ownership.

“The new aggressive marketing scheme they have adopted and the death of Bill Wirtz have helped gain fans,” he said, adding that the Blackhawks made big strides after Wirtz death.

Wirtz, the previous Hawks owner for over 40 years, died in September 2007. Ownership then moved to his son Rocky Wirtz. Bill Wirtz, nicknamed “Dollar Bill” for his frugality, was opposed to television broadcast, thinking it would prevent fans from attending games in person.

After Rocky Wirtz took over, he brought in John McDonough, formerly with the Chicago Cubs, as president. A move Matthew Byrne, sports videographer  for NBC 5, said was a “game changer” for the Hawks organization.

Byrne said McDonough’s marketing strategies are responsible for the Chicago hockey craze.

“All of these (strategies) attracted those who used to be fans 15, 20 and 30 years ago as well as a new generation of young fans,” Byrne said. “They have hired old Chicago Blackhawks players as ‘ambassadors’ to the team. (It) helps the older fans connect to their old favorite team.”

The Stanley Cup drought, which dates back to 1961, is closer to Chicago than ever before, and Byrne said fans throughout the city can thank Rocky Wirtz for that.

The Blackhawks, just two wins away from bringing Lord Stanley back to Chicago, have the support of Chicagoans; and win or lose, it has been an exciting season, and Hawks fans aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Also check out Crain’s Chicago Business’ story: WMAQ shut out if Hawks win next two.

NOTE: This story has been corrected. Matthew Byrne is the videographer, not Bryne.

It has now been 2 1/2 years since Carly Pribich, 24, got the job with the Wolves, and it has opened her up to multiple other job opportunities, including an internship and a small job with the White Sox. It could also open doors for a career in sports marketing.

The Kids Zone offers multiple activities for kids during home Wolves games. “Kids can shoot pucks, take pictures in cut-outs and play games,” Pribich said.

Parents can drop their kids off at the start of the game and the Kids Zone activities run until the start of the third period. There are also Saturday fun festivals for ticket holders, who can spend time with their kids at the Allstate Arena doing things like bags, face painting, and even trying on hockey equipment.

Growing up, Pribich was always a hockey fan. Her father is a longtime Blackhawks fan who has season tickets every year and loved to bring her along. “Carly really enjoys the game and understands it completely,” her father, John Pribich, said. “She’s been going to home Blackhawks games with me for 10 years now.”

Her cousin, Alyse Howard, remembers Pribich always being into sports when she was growing up. “When she was little, she was always a tomboy,” Howard said.

Pribich later ditched the tomboy look but kept the love for sports. “I’ve always been in love with two things – make-up and hockey,” Pribich explained. It was while she was employed at Ulta, a beauty store, that she finally thought about her future involving hockey. She had tons of ideas for promoting and at the time, hockey was not as popular as it now is. “I was like, you know what? I could get paid for this,” Pribich remembers.

From then on, Pribich focused on trying to find job opportunities in hockey. After taking courses at College of DuPage, she transferred to Columbia College Chicago to pursue a degree in marketing with an emphasis on sports. In September 2007, she found the Kids Zone job on the Chicago Wolves site while still taking classes at Columbia. She graduated in May 2009. Although she would like a full-time job, seeing as the Kids Zone job is just part-time, Pribich finds this job to be one of the best part-time jobs she could hope for. “They treat you really well and I get free tickets to every game,” she said.

The job at the Kids Zone has opened Pribich up to many other opportunities as well. “One day, I just offered to help and I was made the community relations intern,” she recalls. It was a paid intern position and Pribich dealt with not only office work, but also many mascot appearances. She would go to local rinks and guide the mascot around to say hello to fans. Pribich was also in charge of preparing new player welcome packages and decided to revamp the whole thing. New players were given lists of different hot spots, such as clubs, malls and restaurants, so they would have an easier time adjusting to living in a new place.

During the 2008 season, Pribich worked for the White Sox on top of her Wolves job. She was a member of the Pride Crew, a group of girls who handed out promotional prizes during home games at US Cellular Field. “The main reason I got that job was because of the Wolves job,” Pribich said.

Her sister, Dana Pribich, thinks the job is a perfect fit for Carly. “She has a lot of experience with [babysitting] kids, so she’s good at it,” Dana explained. Of course, Dana and her parents love the perks of Carly’s job, such as the free tickets and getting tours of the arena. In regard to Carly’s future jobs, Dana is positive she will find something with her degree. “She would be good with marketing because she’s assertive, but not pushy,” Dana said.

Howard also thinks Carly Pribich is right at home working for the Wolves. “She is great with kids and knows her sports so I think it’s a great job for her,” Howard said. Howard has no doubt Pribich will make it in the marketing world. “She is very good at persuading someone to buy something,” Howard stated. “She has a very professional manner about her when it comes to any job that she does.”

Could this part-time job be the start of Carly Pribich’s marketing career in hockey? John Pribich has no doubt his daughter will find something in the marketing aspect of the game. “She would be a nice fit on the marketing end for any sports related game,” he said. “She’s aware of what a fan would want to see so she knows how fan interaction can benefit the team.”

Katie Schwebel, Pribich’s cousin, thinks that Pribich has the right combination to take lead in a career in marketing. “She is so passionate about the sport and has the type of personality that everyone loves,” Schwebel said. “She’s very easy to get along with and is a very intelligent person.”

Carly Pribich hopes to move into marketing soon, but her only worry is the schedule for the job. “You have to start with ticket sales and work your way up,” she explained. “I would work the regular nine-to-five hours in addition to every home game. I wouldn’t get a day off,” she said. There are usually two to three home games per week from October until April, even more if the team makes it into the playoffs. For now, the Kids Zone job is just right for Carly Pribich. “Carly has a real knack for what she does,” her sister, Dana, said. “ I hope that bigger opportunities will come her way because I know she will succeed.”

A big number of these fans include school-aged kids, ranging anywhere from grade school students to college students. As a result, students are signing up to play ice hockey.

“The number of players went up from last year to this year,” said Jason Hawkins, head coach of the Glenbard Hockey Team. Glenbard is a local team in the suburbs of Chicago comprised of students from three different high schools in the same district. “We merged so we could have a JV team and more kids could play,” Hawkins said.

According to USA Hockey, youth hockey is seeing a dramatic rise. Roughly 353,000 youth players registered for the 2006-2007 hockey season; in that same year, there were 181 teams in junior hockey and six different levels of competition, which was a record-breaking number. In the 2008-2009 hockey season, 199 junior hockey teams were registered.

One thing that is worrisome to many players and parents is the high cost of the sport. “The equipment is expensive and we get no support from the schools, so it comes out of the parents’ pockets,” Hawkins said. In fact, since most teams do not have their own ice arenas, local arenas must be rented out for practices and games. The Glenbard team pays $350 per hour to rent out the arena in their area. “Each team practices for three hours a week,” Hawkins said.

At Total Hockey, an online hockey equipment store, a pair of skates can cost anywhere from $100 to $800 and even something as simple as a hockey stick cast cost as much as $200. That does not begin to cover everything a player needs to compete. Yet Hawkins insists that the bad economy has not hindered the amount of players competing each year.

Laura Johnson, the registrar at The Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI), has similar thoughts. “Even with the high cost of playing hockey, many families will find a way to have their kids participate in what most of us know is the greatest game on Earth,” Johnson said.

Hockey does not seem to just be a passing phase to students. “A lot of our kids continue on to play college hockey and some continue on to play junior hockey,” Hawkins said of his players. The number of college club teams has risen as well. After Hawkins graduated high school in 1997, he played college hockey and there were four or five college teams in Illinois. Now, according to The AHAI, are 12 college club teams in Illinois. This includes smaller schools, such as Robert Morris University and Wheaton College, as well as bigger state schools, such as University of Illinois and Illinois State.

The economy has shown no match for the dedication of younger hockey players across Illinois, as well as the United States. Kids and adults alike cannot seem to get enough of this newly popular sport. The reason? Everyone may have a different opinion, but for Hawkins, the popularity of NHL teams seems to draw more and more players. “Since the Hawks have gotten more popular, we have seen a growth in hockey,” he said.

Laura Johnson agrees. “There is no doubt that the success of the Chicago Blackhawks has had a tremendous positive impact on the interest in youth hockey in Illinois,” she said. But even if the Hawks start losing, hockey does not appear to be going away anytime soon.