Bill Wirtz, the controversial owner of the Blackhawks since 1966, died yesterday from cancer. Wirtz’s 41-year reign as owner and president was tumultuous to say the least, as the once proud Original Six franchise alienated fans while bringing no Stanley Cup victories to the Windy City.
Wirtz, known as “Dollar Bill” for his reputation as a tightwad when it came to the team payroll, will likely be remembered for his mismanagement of the Hawks. Among his less popular moves (and there were several) were his refusal to televise home games and his allowing popular players like Bobby Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and so on to leave town. The team hasn’t played in a Stanley Cup final since 1992, and it’s plain to see during any trip to the United Center that the fans aren’t going to the games. Take a long walk through the Loop and down Michigan Avenue and you won’t see many, if any, Hawks jerseys. Hockey has become an irrelevant sport in Chicago, and it’s quite sad. But with Wirtz’s death, there is a great opportunity to breathe life back into this once great team.
As a native Chicagoan, it has been hard to be a Hawks fan lately. Whether it’s not being able to see the Hawks battle the Red Wings at the UC on TV, or paying for a seat in an empty house to watch a mediocre group of guys lug aroung the ice at a minor league level for 60 minutes, it has not been fun.
But now is the chance to make it fun again. The Hawks are a young team with a lot of potential. First-round draft picks Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews should bring excitement and talent to the team for years to come, not to mention Martin Havlat and Tuomo Ruutu who should be emerging as stars soon.
Though it may never have the in-your-face energy of the old Chicago Stadium, the United Center is still a great place to watch a hockey game. I went to game 1 of the 2002 playoffs, their first playoff game in five years, and the place was electric. Hopefully the energetic youngsters and a competitive product will bring the fans back and get the UC rocking again.
The Hawks need to connect with the fans again and restore Chicago to the hockey town that it once was. It is not only good for Chicago, but good for the NHL when a large city fully embraces its professional team. It will take a lot for the team perennially voted among ESPN’s worst sports franchises to rebound, but the elements are in place. It’s unknown at this point who will take control of the Blackhawks (possibly one of Wirtz’s sons) but whoever it is will have their work cut out for them. Changes must be made, and the new Hawk owner will have a lot of tough executive decisions to make, but the first order of business should be simple:
TELEVISE THE HOME GAMES!