Zadorov takes a bit of a parting shot

Nikita Zadorov met the Chicago meet today via Zoom and said nice things about his new team and how excited he was, which is what players say 99.99% of the time when going to a new team.

Oh, and he took something of a whack at Avalanche fans, at least when it comes to filling the Pepsi Center. Asked what it’ll be like to play at the United Center in Chicago, Big Z said this:

Zadorov on playing in the United Center: "You're pretty much playing in the United Center in Denver, too. 75% of the fans are Blackhawks fans."

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 12, 2020

Ouch.

Thing is, well….he’s kinda right. There have been just an embarrassing number of Blackhawks fans at Avs games at the Pepsi Center the last few years.

That, hopefully, will change moving forward. We’ll see how many Hawks fans show up the next couple years if their team continues on the trajectory it’s taken the last few years.

Of course, it’ll be nice to see ANY FANS in the Pepsi Center, or any other NHL arena, this coming season.

I also remember well when the United Center was half empty in the late 1990s/early 2000s when the Hawks were a laughingstock. Bottom line: winning gets you more fans, hardcore or bandwagon.

That little riposte by Z didn’t go unnoticed by Avs fans on Twitter:

It’s true. Nobody wants to live in Chicago.

— 9296 (@ChrisJLeeper) October 12, 2020