Sports

 

 

Chicago’s Hockey Revolution

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

Le Chicago Blackhawks F
are finally on their way back
to success after over a decade
of darkness in the NHL. The
Windy City boys are gaining ~
respect again after the passing —
of tyrannical owner Bill Wirtz.

As oppressive a
dictator as any owner in hockey,
and maybe sports, history, Bill
Wirtz, who died at 77, was
infamous throughout the sports
world for refusing to televise
Blackhawks home games if
the building didn’t sell out. His |
reasoning was that it wasn’t
fair to the fans that paid good
money to come to the games
for people to just watch them
for free at home. Wirtz just
didn’t get it. If the Blackhawks
had been half decent, that —
might have been reasonable, —
but Chicago has perennially
been one of the biggest misfits —
in sports, combining years o
horrible personnel decisions
bad trades, abysmal marketing |
philosophies, and failure on the
ice to tarnish the once proud reputation
of the Blackhawks. Under Bill Wirtz,
the Chicago Blackhawks had become
irrelevant.

However, Wirtz’s son Rocky
has assumed control of the Hawks, and
is determined to bring the once storied
franchise into modern times. Rocky
often clashed with his autocratic father
over the operation of the hockey team,
and it was perhaps for this reason that
Rocky worked in the family liquor
business instead of the hockey team.
The Wirtz family is estimated to have
approximately $4 billion is total holdings
and assets after decades of success in real
estate and the liquor dealerships. The
Wirtz family liquor business distributes
one-third of all alcohol in the state of
Illinois.

Two weeks after his father died,
Rocky Wirtz negotiated a television deal
to put Blackhawks games on TV for
this season, a plan which will now see
the Hawks have 70 of their 82 games
televised next season.

Bill Wirtz had permitted the
Blackhawks to decay, and had one
of the most archaic and _ inefficient
administration teams in the NHL during
his 41-year tenure as team president.
Since becoming the top man in the
organization, Rocky Wirtz has removed
senior vice-president Bob Pulford from
the team and shunted him to a Wirtz
holding on the other side of town. Pulford
had been in a management position with
Chicago since 1977 and had become a
representation of how badly things were
run there.

24

 

While Rocky Wirtz has made a point of
upgrading the Blackhawk’s front office,
the real change has occurred on the ice.
The Hawks have two future, if they
aren’t already, superstars, Patrick Kane
and Jonathan Toews. Kane was drafted
first overall this year and Toews second
overall in 2006,
and both are the
foundations in the
rebuilding effort
in Chicago.

“Bill Wirtz had one of the
most archaic and inefficient

  
     

league a bit. When Tuomo Rutuu can
stay healthy, he’s a true power forward
in every sense of the word. Defenseman
Brent Seabrook has turned into a really
solid rock on the back end. However,
it really all comes back to Kane and
Toews.

Kane played
just one season
with the London
Knights in
major junior’s

Kane, administration teams in the OHL. However,

19, and Toews,
also 19, are the
frontrunners for
the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of
the year this season. Through 20 games,
Kane already has 22 points. For someone
who just turned 19 and is just 5°10, 163
pounds, that is absolutely phenomenal.
He’s leading the Blackhawks in scoring,
and has been a major part in the team’s
trek back to respectability. Kane won
the NHL Rookie of the Month award for
October after he accumulated five goals
and 11 assists in only 12 games. Toews
has also been very impressive. Through
18 games, he has 16 points. The two
room together on the road, and are the
most impressive of a strong group of
prospects.

At the time of this writing,
the Blackhawks are fifth in the Western
Conference, and behind only the Detroit
Red Wings in their division. Their success
this season is a direct result of Kane and
Toews, but they’ve had help from the
other good young players in the Hawk’s
system: Patrick Sharp’s development has
been meteoric after he moved around the

NAL.”

he had = an
incredible
season with 62
goals, 83 assists, for a CHL leading 145
points. He also was an amazing plus 45
on the year. Incredibly, he only played 58
games last year. He won the OHL rookie
of the year award, and finished second
to John Tavaras for the OHL and CHL
MVP awards. Kane was gold for London
in the playoffs that year, scoring 10 goals,
21 assists and 31 points in just 16 playoff
games. The year before that, Kane played
for the US national development team,
amassing 52 goals, 50 assists, and 102
points in just 58 games.

Kane has also been remarkable
while playing for the United States in
international competitions. In 2006,
Kane played for the US in the U-18
World Championships, helping the
States capture the gold medal. In 2007,
Kane played a starring role for the US
in the World Junior Championships. He
was named to the tournament all-star
team and finished in a tie for second in
tournament scoring. He would later be
chosen first overall in the 2007 NHL

entry draft after Chicago
won the right to choose
first.

Toews has similarly
impressivejuniorcredentials.
Only Eric Johnson was
taken ahead of him in the
2006 NHL entry draft, and
___ he was picked first overall in

|. the 2003 WHL bantam draft.
However, Toews opted to
~ go to college instead of
play major junior for his
draft team, the Tri-City
Americans. In two seasons
with the University of North
Dakota in the NCAA, had
40 goals and 45 assists in 76

_ games.
Toews has also
excelled while playing
for his country. Toews

captained the 2005 Western
Canadian U-17 team, and
was named tournament
MVP as Canada won gold.
At just 17, Toews played for
Canada in the 2006 World
Junior Championships,
where Canada again won
gold. The next year, Toews again made
the Canadian WJC team, and was the
tournament’s best forward, being named
to the all star team as he led Canada in
scoring. Canada repeated as champions.
Toews had an unforgettable game
against Kane and the United States in
the tournament semi-finals. Canada won
2-1 in a lengthy shootout, and Toews
scored a remarkable three goals in the
breakaway contest.

Chicago has gone through
so many long years of below average
performances and unfulfilled
expectations to the point where they are
barely recognized in Chicago anymore.
Rocky Wirtz is working hard to change
that. He is certainly extolling his young
stars to the public, paying for billboard
sized posters of Kane and Toews on
buses and other public transit systems.

Through all of their lacklustre
seasons, it may all have been worth it
for Kane and Toews. They are joined
by a cadre of other young players, as
well as a superstar in goal with Nikolai
Khabibulin. If Martin Havlat can ever
stay healthy, Chicago also boasts a
pure scorer to compliment the young
bluechippers.

The Chicago renaissance can
only be good for the team and the league,
as the game needs America’s third largest
media market to be at its best. With
players like Patrick Kane and Jonathan
Toews, it won’t be long before not just
Chicago, but the entire nation sits up and
takes notice.