CHICAGO — More than a month ago, Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz gave President and CEO John McDonough and general manager Stan Bowman a vote of confidence despite the team’s fading hopes of making the playoffs.
But when the NHL went on hiatus because of the coronavirus outbreak, it apparently gave Wirtz time to assess and reflect.
The Hawks honcho announced Monday he has cut ties with McDonough, crediting him for helping revive an aimless franchise into one that won three Stanley Cup titles in six years but acknowledging that the current version needs a new vision. The Hawks were on pace to miss the playoffs for a third straight season before the suspension.
Wirtz’s 43-year-old son Danny, the team’s vice president and an alternate governor to the NHL, will serve as interim president while the team searches for McDonough’s permanent replacement.
“Thirteen years ago, I recruited John to the Blackhawks because of his leadership, direction and vision. John brought all of that to the table and more,” Rocky Wirtz said in a news release. “His contributions went well beyond leading the team to three Stanley Cup championships. He rebuilt the front office and helped guide the organization toward a winning vision.
“As difficult as this is, we believe it was the right decision for the future of the organization and its fans.”
Wirtz expressed similar sentiments in a memo sent to employees, also indicating how he wrestled with the decision.
“All of us with the Chicago Blackhawks organization share a passion and commitment to win both on and off the ice,” Wirtz said in the memo. “That commitment has been our foundation as we face our most difficult decisions and embrace an opportunity for change.
“Today, we have made the difficult decision to embrace change and release John McDonough from his role as president and CEO.”
Wirtz cited “unprecedented times that require us to think very differently about our future.”
“While we can reassure you all that there will be hockey again, no one knows what it will look like,” he said in the memo. “We must take the opportunity today to reimagine our future and to set a positive course getting there.”
Wirtz struck a different tone in March, less than a week into the shutdown. The Hawks were 32-30-8, six points back in the wild-card race, and Wirtz expressed confidence that McDonough and Bowman could get the team headed in the right direction.
“You look at everything,” Wirtz told NBC Sports Chicago’s Blackhawks Talk podcast. “You’re looking at salaries, you’re looking at free agents, you’re looking at signing college players, free agents in Europe. The nice thing is, John McDonough and his crew and Stan Bowman, in my humble opinion, we have a good organization. They will figure it out.
“On my epitaph and on my tombstone with my kids, I promise you, it’s going to say: ‘Just figure it out.’ It’s going to be the day I was born, the day I died and ‘Just figure it out.’ They will figure it out. I promise you.”
McDonough won’t get the opportunity to figure it out, and his ouster raises questions about whether Bowman fits into the team’s future as well.
Bowman wasn’t mentioned in Wirtz’s public statement or the internal memo. Neither McDonough nor Bowman could be reached for comment.
Wirtz hired McDonough in November 2007, luring him from the Cubs, for whom he had worked for 25 years, shortly after Wirtz took control of the Hawks following the death of his father, Bill Wirtz.
McDonough’s arrival helped spur the franchise’s revival into a box-office success in addition to the three Stanley Cup titles. The Hawks had sold out 531 consecutive home games before the season was suspended last month.
Known for his marketing mind, McDonough is credited with pioneering the first Cubs Convention in 1986, and since then teams have staged their own fan conventions and copied other of his innovations.
Danny Wirtz has served a number of roles for the Hawks and their foundation.
“I cannot adequately express my family’s appreciation to John for his contributions to the turnaround of the Chicago Blackhawks organization,” Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “I take this interim role with the utmost responsibility to the team and will focus on resetting the framework for the next generation of the Chicago Blackhawks. I look forward to working with Rocky to identify our next leader.”
Danny Wirtz will maintain his roles as vice chairman of Breakthru Beverage Group and helping run the family’s other business concerns.
Rocky Wirtz said in the memo that he’ll “work closely with Danny and our Blackhawks senior leadership team to set a new course and vision for the organization.”
“We want to reiterate our appreciation for all of you during these unsettled times,” Wirtz said. “We recognize that change is difficult and there may be bumps on our road, but we will strive to navigate them with the health of the organization intact. We will make decisions today to ensure we are well-positioned for great success in the future.”
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