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Farewell: Rocky Wirtz, Miracle Worker
- Updated: July 28, 2023
Goodbye and thanks for everything. [Photo: Chicago Blackhawks on Twitter]
I’m currently working on a retrospective of Jonathan Toews, his career, and what he meant to the Blackhawks and the city of Chicago as a whole. The gist of the piece is that hockey’s Renaissance in Chicago started with him. On the ice, that’s the case. Beyond that, though, there was another man without whom none of this is possible. That man is Rocky Wirtz. Tuesday, Rocky passed away at the age of 70.
Rocky inherited the worst franchise in professional sports and turned it into the NHL’s first post-cap dynasty. His father, Bill Wirtz, prioritized the bottom line above all else, earning the nickname “Dollar Bill” and alienating an entire generation of potential Hawks, and hockey, fans. The team was awful and the home games weren’t even on TV. Under those circumstances, unless you have an older relative who was a Hawks fan, how do you become one? For kids who grew up in the late 90s and early 00s like myself, the answer is “you don’t.” Michael Jordan and Stone Cold Steve Austin were the talk of the day in school. The Blackhawks? “Oh yeah, they do exist, don’t they?” The Wolves were more popular. Rocky saw the potential and awakened a sleeping giant. Under his leadership, the Blackhawks made not only themselves cool, but hockey as a whole. Today, Chicago is one of the best hockey cities in the country. More and more kids are playing. People are wearing Hawks gear everywhere. The Hawks boasted a years-long sellout streak and even during this past season’s tank, they still drew some decent crowds. Twenty years ago, this was unthinkable.
Rocky was exactly what you want an owner to be. He truly cared. He cared about the team, he cared about winning, he cared about the fans, he cared about the city. It’s impossible to understate what he meant to the Blackhawks, to Chicago, to the NHL, or to hockey as a whole. When Toews and Kane’s statues go up, Rocky should get one, too. And a banner in the United Center. He leaves the organization in an infinitely better place than he found it. His son Danny likely leads the way now, and while his father leaves some awfully big shoes to fill, this space asserts Danny is up to the task. He knows what this team means to this city and what it meant to his dad. Rocky’s ownership saw the revitalization of an Original Six team and a hockey boom in its city. The Hawks not only ended a 49-year Cup drought, but added two more. I’m just sorry he won’t be here for the next one.
