Report: Blackhawks Won't Play 'The Stripper' During 'Shoot The Puck' Contest
(CBS) The Blackhawks will stop their tradition of organist Frank Pellico playing "The Stripper" while women participate in the team's regular "Shoot the Puck" contest during the second intermission of home games, the Sun-Times reported Wednesday afternoon.
The practice of playing the instrumental music had come under fire from fans recently for being insensitive, and it gained momentum with a #BanTheStripper hashtag on Twitter that was trending for a time in the Chicago area and a 3 Hawks Goals petition that was created. There also continues to be anger expressed by some over the contest's sexism, the ritual being to select a child, a man, a celebrity and then an attractive woman often dressed somewhat revealingly.
A team employee is tasked with finding a "just the right female participant" each night, the Sun-Times reported. While Blackhawks CEO John McDonough didn't addresses whether the means of selecting contestants in the "Shoot the Puck" promotion would change, he did confirm the song's end is here.
"I think you've heard the last of Frank Pellico playing 'The Stripper,'" Blackhawks CEO John McDonough told the Sun-Times.
Read more about the 3 Hawks Goals movement here, as it also calls for outfitting the females in the ice crew in the same clothing as the men and also adding a female moderator or two at the 2015 Blackhawks convention.
