Photo caption: THE HAWKS AND the Coyotes battle it out for the puck in Friday night’s matchup at the United Center (UC).
To kick off Black History Month, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 in overtime on Friday, February 10, at the United Center.
Caleb Jones, son of former African American NBA Player Popeye Jones, scored the game-winning goal in OT to seal the victory on Friday night.
“Yeah, it kind of felt like the Anaheim [Ducks] game a little bit all over again,” said Jones via NHL.com on Chicago’s 3-2 overtime loss prior to Friday night’s game.
“We were getting a lot of chances, a lot of [offensive]-zone time. I thought we came out flat, but once we found our legs, started playing a little more physically, it worked out for us, and it’s nice to always get the two points when you play that way.”
After being down 2-0 early in the game, the Blackhawks responded with goals in the first period, second period, third period and overtime to close out the game.
Both teams battled it out on Black History Night and gave the fans a night to remember. Whether it was scripted or unscripted, two African American brothers (Seth Jones and Caleb Jones) impacted the game and sent Blackhawks fans home happy with the victory.
Final Score: Hawks 4, Coyotes 3 in OT.
During Friday night’s match-up with the Coyotes, Blackhawks Center Andreas Athanasiou scored his 10th goal of the season, tying the game 2-2 in the 2nd period.
Chicago Crusader Player of the Game:
Caleb Jones, Chicago Blackhawks, scored the game-winning goal in OT.
Blackhawks to build future partnerships with African American media:
In addition to the Blackhawks’ 4-3 victory over the Coyotes, the organization held several special events prior to the game. The events were designed to celebrate Black History Month and build future partnerships with underserved communities.
According to the Chicago Blackhawks, the organization provided platforms for those making their mark on the city and growing the game.
The Blackhawks will amplify their ongoing commitment and year-round partnerships to diversity through a combination of artist partnerships, live entertainment, food and drink offerings, art displays and more, as the organization provides a platform for those within the African American and Black communities who are making their mark on the city, the organization and sport of hockey.
Local artist and organizations who collaborated with the Blackhawks:
Tyrese Ingram is a 19-year-old student at Malcolm X College and a resident of the North Lawndale neighborhood. He is the creative artist behind this year’s Black History Month warmup jersey and limited-edition retail collection, which includes a t-shirt, sweatshirt and hoodie, with all proceeds benefiting the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation.
The partnership with Ingram came to be thanks to Firehouse Community Arts Center, which is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation and A Better Chicago’s One West Side initiative, which is also supported by United Airlines.
New Investments in Education, Neighborhood Small Businesses:
The Chicago Blackhawks Foundation recently announced six new recipients will join the Support West cohort program, which provides $5,000 grants to minority-owned small businesses and also helps with financial resources, peer and business mentorship and marketing support throughout the year.
In addition to other collaborations and partnerships, the team and Foundation are working with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Chicago Chapter on a new long-term partnership that will provide mentorship opportunities and support financial scholarships for college students who are studying journalism and related fields.
In 2022, NABJ Chicago reached out to the Chicago Blackhawks to explore opportunities to partner together. Together, and through a formal partnership, they recognized the unique opportunity to work toward developing a more diverse press box; offering alternative perspectives from different communities in Chicago; engaging more intentionally with community-based publications; and supporting college students interested in sports marketing and communications.
As part of their partnership together in 2023, they are excited to offer:
Scholarship Support: The Chicago Blackhawks Foundation will pledge $10,000 in financial support to the National Association of Black Journalists Scholarship program, providing the expansion of scholarships to allow for future journalists in the program.
Annual Shadow Day: Beginning in 2023, the team plans to offer the opportunity for aspiring journalists to join the Blackhawks on a Shadow Game Day, where students will attend morning skate, followed by engagement with the press, a career panel featuring a number of different team members who are part of the team, followed by attendance at the game. Featured entities that will be part of this experience include: broadcast, marketing, communications, hockey communications, social media, and public relations.
Guaranteed Yearly Internship: Each year, the Chicago Blackhawks will hire paid game-day interns to support the media and press throughout the hockey season. The organization is excited to guarantee one position exclusively to the National Association of Black Journalists to a local interested college or graduate school student who is willing to work at many games in support of the media, press, and marketing communications roles.
Media Availability: Additionally, the Marketing and Communications team seeks to provide more opportunities to local community media and press outlets on stories and Blackhawks engagement. The M and C team wishes to make stronger connections with those local outlets to better understand the desire and interest in certain stories, interviews, and human interest pieces. They will begin by meeting individually with outlets recommended by the NABJ.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
