A major statement has been issued by the Chicago Blackhawks team owner Danny Wirtz and it changes things

«On behalf of the entire CHSN team, we're proud to welcome Comcast's Xfinity TV customers to a network built exclusively for Chicago sports fans,» CHSN president Jason Coyle said in a statement. «With more than 300 live Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox games each year, along with original programming that highlights Chicago's pro, college, and high school sports, CHSN delivers the most comprehensive and locally focused coverage available. This deal allows us to reach even more fans across the city and suburbs, deepen connections, and reinforce CHSN as the home for Chicago sports all day, every day.»

«Today's announcement that Chicago Sports Network will now be available on Comcast marks the realization of the original vision for our games reaching to the widest audience possible,» Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said Friday. «Blackhawks fans have been incredibly patient over the past year as CHSN has worked to create widespread availability of our games, and I couldn't be more excited for what this means for them. This agreement puts us back in the homes of many Chicagoans who have been missing our coverage, ensuring sports fans across the city are able to enjoy exciting Blackhawks hockey as well as all the programming we have planned for our Centennial celebration next season.»

«At the end of the day, the availability of our games on TV this past season was unacceptable - and our fans deserve better,» Wirtz told The Athletic in April. «I am focused on finding potential solutions for next season with our partners at CHSN. We are about to celebrate 100 years of hockey as well as usher in the next generation on the ice. I am committed to ensuring our fans can see that.»

«I wish I could (have a timeline), and I've been hopeful before,» Wirtz said. «But we hope that we have the right pieces to put something together. Unfortunately, as you know in the media world, we are Chicago, and our teams are not the only piece to the puzzle of national media relationships and markets and things. We are, unfortunately, caught in the timing of all those other things that are less about our specific deal and more about how these deals come online across markets across the U.S.»