Blackhawks Fight Song

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Lore & Background

The source describes Chicago Stadium as the "Madhouse on Madison," a nickname earned largely due to the fabled 3,663-pipe Barton organ. This instrument was estimated to have the total volume of 25 brass bands and featured the world's largest theater organ console with six manuals and over 800 stops. Al Melgard played this organ for decades during hockey games, creating the auditory atmosphere that defined the stadium. In 1973, during the Stanley Cup Final against Montreal, Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz installed the horn from his yacht, the Kahlenberg Q-3, to sound after team goals. This specific practice became a commonplace "goal horn" tradition in professional hockey in ensuing years. The source also notes that longtime PA announcer Harvey Wittenberg had a unique monotone style for calling goals, such as announcing Bobby Hull's unassisted goal at 6:13.

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 source does not provide a guide to a specific fight song. Instead, it details the operational quirks of Chicago Stadium that shaped the game-day experience. The arena had no elevators; workers formed lines to pass kegs of beer upstairs and rolled them back down, damaging the stairs. It was the first arena with an air conditioning system, though this was rudimentary and often filled the building with fog during late-season games. The stadium opened on March 28, 1929, with a boxing match between Tommy Loughran and Mickey Walker for a purse of $150,000. While the text mentions Nancy Faust played indoors at the Stadium for Bulls home games from 1976 to 1984 and on the pipe organ for Blackhawks hockey from 1985 to 1989, it does not specify which songs she performed.

Did You Know?

• The stadium featured a 3,663-pipe Barton organ estimated to have the volume of 25 brass bands.
• Bill Wirtz installed his yacht's horn in 1973 to sound after Blackhawks goals, creating the modern goal-horn tradition.
• Chicago Stadium had no elevators; workers rolled beer kegs down stairs to return them from upper concessions.
• The arena's rudimentary air conditioning system was known for filling the building with fog during late-season games.
• A German Shepherd reportedly wandered the bowels of the stadium at night, acting as "the security team."