Thrilled to be back in the Chicago Tribune today. Hope my picture (it ran in the paper) hasn’t changed much since it first ran in an American League notes column in 1987.

The sports media column is going to run every other Wednesday. Looking forward to working with a lot of old friends.

To read the complete column, look for link on my Twitter feed: @Sherman_Report

Today’s column is about how the Chicago Blackhawks have emerged as a national team for NBC and the NHL. The huge Chicago ratings from an avid fan base in the nation’s third largest market is having a profound impact on NBC and NBC Sports Network’s numbers:

In Chicago, an average of nearly 300,000 viewers tuned in for Game 3 on NBC Sports Network Monday night. That’s nearly 20 percent of the estimated 1.6 million

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Forgive me if I get nostalgic, but two playoff series featuring four Original 6 teams has me diving into the way-back machine.

Chicago vs. Detroit: Is that Jonathan Toews facing off against Henrik Zetterberg, or Stan Mikita staring down Alex Delvecchio?

Boston vs. New York Rangers: Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist may be the man of the hour now, but they still haven’t forgotten Eddie Giacomin in the Garden.

Nothing like a Giacomin mention in a post to perk up your day. If you’re of a certain generation like me, you feel the same way.

The stars have aligned to give hockey fans a rare treat and set up NBC for a potential ratings bonanza. Not only are there two revivals of age-old rivalries, but they also feature huge major markets that are crazy about hockey.

With NBC and NBC Sports … Continue Reading

The Blackhawks get the all-access treatment.

Here are the details from NBC Sports Network:

NBC Sports Group and the National Hockey League announced the return of the acclaimed all-access series NHL 36, with a special two-part edition focused on Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Chicago Blackhawks. The new episode, which for the first time trained its cameras upon an entire team, airs tomorrow night on NBC Sports Network, immediately following post-game coverage of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks (9:30 p.m. ET).

Part of the 36 Series on NBC Sports Network, NHL 36: Chicago Blackhawks will provide an all-access pass to the club that began the 2012-13 regular season with a historic 24-game point streak, and went on to capture the Central Division title and the Presidents’ Trophy. The Blackhawks now are setting … Continue Reading

If this doesn’t put you in the mood for the playoffs, nothing will.

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As has been speculated, it appears as if the Chicago Blackhawks weren’t aware of Susannah Collins’ previous work doing racy sports videos prior to being hired as a sports reporter by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

In a front page story in the Chicago Tribune, Robert Channick obtained a copy of a letter Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz sent to CSNC vice-president and general manager Phil Bedella.

Channick reports:

Launched in 2004, CSN Chicago is a partnership between Comcast and the Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks and Bulls. Comcast owns about 30 percent of the sports network, and the teams control the rest. Management at CSN Chicago is solely responsible for the hiring of reporters, according to the network.

But on Wednesday, Wirtz sent a letter to Phil Bedella, vice president and general manager of CSN Chicago, which the Tribune obtained, addressing his concerns about

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Susannah Collins, whose unfortunate slip went viral this week, has been fired by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

In a statement issued late last night, Phil Bedella, vice-president and general manager of CSN Chicago said:

“Due to circumstances unrelated to her on-air remarks Tuesday night, Susannah Collins and Comcast SportsNet Chicago have parted ways. We appreciate everything Susannah has contributed to our network over the past year and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

On Tuesday, Collins, who had been working as a reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks, said during Game of the Minnesota series that the Hawks had enjoyed “a tremendous amount of sex” during a segment. She tried to correct herself by quickly saying, “success.”

The next day, Collins sent out this tweet:

Thanks for laughing along with me & my “tremendous” slip, guys. Who couldn’t use a

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Robin Herman was amused by Don Cherry’s absurd and dated rant about how women reporters shouldn’t be allowed in the locker room.

Back in 1975, Herman became the first female reporter to covering the NHL. Only 23 at the time, she covered the beat for the New York Times.

In an open letter to Cherry on espnW, Herman called the former Boston Bruins coach her “hero.” Lo and behold, it turns out he was the first coach to allow her into the locker room.

I’d gotten a lot of publicity for breaking “the locker room barrier” at the 1975 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, but that was a one-off. You were the first coach in the NHL to allow me, a female, accredited sports reporter and member of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, into your locker room as a

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It’s all about numbers, which is why you will see the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins in the featured broadcast windows with the A-team announcers during the playoffs.

Not only are the teams national draws, but their hometown ratings are off the charts. The impact those local ratings will have on the national numbers makes NBC officials very happy, assuming both teams continue to win.

Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Minnesota series averaged 280,000 viewers on Comcast Sports Net Chicago Tuesday, with a peak of 418,000 during overtime. Those ratings figure to go up dramatically during the playoffs. Little wonder why NBC officials were relieved to see the Hawks pull out Game 1. Privately, of course.

As for Pittsburgh, the Penguins averaged a 12.56 local rating on Root Sports this year. It is the highest for any sports team in a … Continue Reading