Blackhawks Fight Song

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Lore & Background

The Stadium was built by Paddy Harmon, who sank his entire fortune into the project. It opened in March 1929 with a boxing match. Known as the 'Madhouse on Madison', it featured a massive 3,663-pipe Barton organ. The organ was played by Al Melgard for decades during hockey games. The Stadium hosted four U.S. presidential nominating conventions, including for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1944. It was owned by the Norris and Wirtz families from 1935 until its closure.

In Their Own Story

During the Stanley Cup semifinals of 1971, CBS announcer Dan Kelly reported on the intensity of Chicago Stadium after the Blackhawks scored a series-clinching empty-net goal in Game seven against the New York Rangers. He stated, "I can feel our broadcast booth shaking! That's the kind of place Chicago Stadium is right now!" The source does not describe a specific fight song playing during this moment but highlights the sheer volume of the crowd and the facility itself. The dressing rooms were located under the seats, accessible via a cramped corridor with twenty-two steps that led to the ice. Legend held that a German Shepherd wandered these bowels at night as "the security team." The source mentions that fans traditionally cheered loudly throughout the singing of national anthems, especially when sung by Chicago favorite Wayne Messmer, with second-balcony denizens often adding sparklers and flags.

Reader's Guide

The Stadium had a seating capacity of 17,317 for hockey at closure, with standing room pushing attendance higher. The largest recorded NHL crowd was 20,960 for a playoff game on April 10, 1982. The organ console is currently on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona as of July 2026.

Did You Know?

• The Stadium was the first arena with an air conditioning system, though it often filled with fog during late-season games.
• The building had freight elevators; kegs were passed upstairs by hand and rolled down stairs, damaging them.
• Al Capone had operated dog racing tracks in Cook County before authorities shut them down.
• The dressing rooms were underneath the seats, and the corridor to the ice had 23 steps.