ROCKFORD, Ill., Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ ASM Global, the world s leading venue management and services company, has been selected to continue management of the BMO Harris Bank Center and
April 9, 2021
ROCKFORD – Governor JB Pritzker joined the Chicago Blackhawks, the City of Rockford, and the Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in announcing a $23 million multi-year capital project to revitalize the BMO Harris Bank Center – Rockford’s largest sports arena and entertainment venue. With support from state, local and private sector partners, the project will spur regional economic development and lay the groundwork for the acquisition of Rockford-based professional hockey team, the Rockford IceHogs, by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
The City of Rockford, RAVE, the State of Illinois, and the Chicago Blackhawks are partnering to invest in building improvements to the BMO Harris Bank Center, home of the IceHogs. Fueled in part by Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois $45 billion capital plan, the project will modernize Rockford’s largest destination asset, creating
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The Blackhawks have purchased their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, from the City of Rockford in a $11.8 million deal.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz, Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority (RAVE) chairman Craig Thomas and other involved parties announced the deal at a press conference Wednesday at the BMO Harris Bank Center.
The IceHogs simultaneously signed a new 15-year lease at the downtown Rockford arena, securing the minor-league franchise’s future.
“The Rockford IceHogs have played a critical role in our franchise’s success, and today, the IceHogs officially become a part of the Chicago Blackhawks family,” Wirtz said in a statement. “Not only is this an exciting opportunity from a hockey perspective, but . we are reinvesting in Illinois to generate positive economic as well as philanthropic impact.”
Blackhawks Announce Purchase of Rockford IceHogs; Team to Remain in Rockford Through 2036
Governor JB Pritzker today joined the Chicago Blackhawks, the City of Rockford, and the Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority (RAVE) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) in announcing a
$23 million multi-year capital project to revitalize the BMO Harris Bank Center – Rockford’s largest sports arena and entertainment venue. With support from state, local and private sector partners, the project will spur regional economic development and lay the groundwork for the acquisition of Rockford-based professional hockey team, the Rockford IceHogs, by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
Google Maps The Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, likely will be sold by the City of Rockford to the Hawks in 2021. The Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority (RAVE), which oversees the IceHogs, filed a Request for Proposals (RFP) on Wednesday to accept bids on the team. The RFP is the first step in a process that most believe will result in the Hawks purchasing their own affiliate, following a trend set by many franchises in recent years. At least 19 NHL organizations already own their AHL affiliates. Related “At the direction of our ownership, we are exploring many ways in which the Chicago Blackhawks can work more closely with the city of Rockford and the American Hockey League to enhance our standing in the sport while increasing that economic benefit to the city and state,” the Hawks said in a statement. “Obviously, we are looking closely at the city’s overture as a means to accomplish those goals.”