Although there are many sports teams that one could be a fan of in Wisconsin, there is one professional sport that we do not have a team for – hockey.

This often leads to many interesting conversations as you wsee people on campus supporting teams from all across the NHL. From Toronto to Anaheim, there is most likely someone else on campus who happens to be a fan of the same team as you, you just have to try and find them.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who recently hired former UW assistant coach Don Granato, realized that there was not a good place for Wisconsin Blackhawks fans to get together, so they decided to create an event specifically for that.

The Chicago Blackhawks Fan Development situated themselves at the entrance of Gate B, equipped with all of the free merchandise that fans could want, and an inflatable hockey rink. Fans began lining up at 5 p.m. hoping to not only get some gear for the Blackhawks, but also to get prepared for the upcoming Wisconsin hockey season.

Granato to depart UW hockey program for coaching position with Chicago Blackhawks

Any Wisconsin students who could attend were invited to stay and participate in a friendly hockey game against the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team, creating a great chance for fans to interact with the players.

Students who bought season tickets were also invited to join the Crease Creatures, the official student section of Wisconsin men’s hockey, for pizza and beer. The student organization, which was founded earlier this year, is welcoming all student season ticket holders into the group for free during their first year.

The event was organized to give fans of all ages a chance to interact with the team, from coaches to players, and to show their support for both their collegiate team and their professional hockey team (although it was not required for participants to be Blackhawks fans). Fans were also given free t-shirts and could take photographs with any UW personnel who was there.

The Wisconsin men’s hockey season does not begin until this weekend, when Wisconsin welcomes Michigan tech to the Kohl Center for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game. The match between the two teams starts at 2 p.m. this Sunday.