The Chicago Blackhawks will open their regular season on October 7 when they raise their Stanley Cup championship banner at the United Center, but thanks to Major League Baseball, they may not be the only game in town.
That’s because MLB has set the dates for their postseason series, including the American and National League wild card games. The AL game will take place on October 6, and the NL game will be played on October 7.
Those dates matter to Chicago fans because of the wild success of the Cubs this season. The team currently holds a four game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the second wild card spot in the National League, and they trail the Pittsburgh Pirates by two and a half games for the top wild card spot. The Cubs still have seven games remaining this season against the Pirates to help make up that deficit, with four games out in Pittsburgh and three games left at Wrigley Field.
If the Cubs overtake the Pirates, they would host the NL wild card game at Wrigley Field, and it would pose an interesting dilemma for Blackhawks fans. Do they go to the United Center to see a regular season hockey game with excellent pregame festivities, or do they go to the Friendly Confines to see the Cubs try to win their first postseason game in 12 years?
