On July 25, Chicagoland and the hockey world were stunned to hear of the passing of Chicago Blackhawks’ principal owner and chairman, Rocky Wirtz. His death was sudden and unexpected after a short illness, and he was only 70 years old. Wirtz took over the Blackhawks in 2007 after his father Bill Wirtz died, and he transformed the franchise from a forgotten team to a dynasty. Yes, there are a few tarnishes to his legacy. But we’ll get to that.
Related – Stan Mikita: A True Chicago Legend
A plethora of Chicago sports teams and prominent fellow business members of the community honored Wirtz with public statements in the days following his death. I’d like to remember Wirtz by highlighting condolences sent from some former Blackhawks; namely Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brent Sopel.
Kane Lauds Wirtz’s Generosity
Kane didn’t have to reach out regarding Wirtz. After all, he moved on at the end of the 2022-23 season to chase another Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers. Was it Kane’s decision, or the organization pushing him out? Probably a little bit of both. But Kane, along with Toews, was the face of the franchise who came on the scene about the same time as Wirtz took over. They lived through the glory years together. I’m sure in some ways Kane still considers himself a member of the Blackhawks.
— Patrick Kane (@88PKane) July 26, 2023
Kane used the words loyal, humble and generous to describe Wirtz. But he also felt it was important to stress how he took care of the players. “He always made sure everything was first class for us. That mattered to him…”.
In contrast to his father Bill, Rocky threw a lot of money and goodwill towards everything to turn the franchise around. He spent lavishly on building up the front office, upscaling the roster, treating players to the best food and the best hotels, and hiring marketing guru John McDonough to be the president and CEO of the team. He also started televising games on TV again, to the immense pleasure of the fans. As Kane said, he made sure everything was first class.
Toews Praises the Blackhawks “Family”
Toews isn’t with the Blackhawks anymore either, since the organization decided not to extend his contract when he hit free agency after the 2022-23 season. But he was also the captain of the team for 14 years. It’s not a surprise that he made a statement on Wirtz’s passing.
Again, the words humble and generous are used to portray Wirtz. Toews adds other adjectives as well, such as caring, genuine and sincere. He speaks to Wirtz’s business sense that helped bring three championships to Chicago. Let’s face it; that was a pretty big deal.
But most importantly, Toews talked about feeling like he was part of a family; with the players, the organization, the fans and the community. He spoke to how Rocky led by example regarding this family approach every day.
Sopel Speaks About Trust
Sopel isn’t exactly a Blackhawks legend like Kane and Toews. He was a depth player and an aging veteran when he played for the Blackhawks. His tenure with the team lasted only three seasons, yet culminated in raising the Stanley Cup. But I wanted to include his entry because of something very interesting he says about trust.
— Brent Sopel (@brent_sopel) July 26, 2023
First off, Sopel credits Wirtz for showing compassion towards him and his family when they needed it most, and describes him as a good man and a loyal man. Was he too loyal?
It’s unfortunate that his trust in others, however well intentioned, took its toll.
This leads me back to the elephant in the room. Yes, the tarnish to the legacy I brought up earlier. Wirtz was also at the helm when the Kyle Beach scandal broke. He furthermore snapped at the media during a town hall meeting in Feb. 2022 that was designed to smooth things over about the scandal.
But just how much did Rocky know? As president and CEO, McDonough had plenty of control and ruled with an iron fist. He, and others closer to the every day workings of the team, certainly came out looking very guilty when the results of the Jenner and Block investigation came out. McDonough himself laid the groundwork that Wirtz might not have been privy to the intricacies of the Beach situation. The below quote is from an interview with McDonough in 2017.
I’d always say to Rocky, and to this day, I’m only going to tell you about 5 percent. The rest you don’t need to know.
(from ‘Lazerus: Rocky Wirtz’s legacy framed by Blackhawks’ highest, lowest moments’, The AthleticCHI – 7/25/23)
Sopel’s quote seems to allude to this type of situation. A man (albeit the top man) putting too much trust in others when perhaps he shouldn’t have. Unfortunately, we’ll never have the answer to what Wirtz truly knew.
I leave you with one final thought from Sopel’s statement. He describes Wirtz as a fan of the team and a fan of the fans. “A fan’s fan”. It’s true Rocky was known for sitting in a folding chair in the 100 level of the United Center for games. Not in a special suite, but just sitting right there among the fans.
Related – A Blackhawks’ History: Irrelevance to Prominence & Back Again
Rocky’s legacy might be complicated, but he certainly made his impact on Chicago and the Chicago Blackhawks. May he rest in peace.
