Blackhawks fans face soggy bottoms after Game 6 arena roof leak

CHICAGO – Drip, drip, drip.

The United Center roof, yielding under the flash-flood rains that poured down on Chicago on Monday evening, sent tiny streams of water into the end zone sections behind the goals before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Workers scrambled to preserve the seats that were most saturated by covering them in plastic.

Mike is a Chicago Blackhawks season-ticket holder. He arrived for their potential Cup-clinching game against the Tampa Bay Lightning to find his seats in section 107 were among the covered.

“You can’t control the weather,” he said, saying the face value of the seats is $315. “I was a little disappointed. But the view is good.”

He slid his hand under the tarp and felt the seat cushion. “They feel really wet.”

Chuck Groll, a Blackhawks fan seats behind him, also had leak spring above him. He was dripped on, but not ticked off.

“When I got here, I was like ‘What the hell is going on?’ But it doesn’t matter, because we’re here,” he said.

“I wouldn’t miss it for my newborn.”

Mike’s friend Tom came prepared in a baggy coat he planned on using as a de facto seat cover. “If that’s what it is, that’s what I’m willing to do. There’s a lot of people that wish they were here,” he said.

Before faceoff, it appeared the Hawks fans would have to just plant their backsides in saturated seats. A guest relations representative told us that a completely full house for Game 6, it would be challenging to relocate them.

Tom said if that’s the case, then he and Mike are ready to join an exclusive club. You know, besides the “I was there to see the Blackhawks win on home ice” club.

“It’s an honor to have two of the eight seats in the whole stadium that are soaked,” said Tom.