Rocky Wirtz, Blackhawks chairman, dies at 70

Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz, one of the most successful owners in Chicago sports history, died suddenly Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 70.

The third man in the dynastic family to lead the Hawks’ franchise, Wirtz made a dynasty out of the franchise itself, transforming the team’s popularity and brand and ushering in an era of on-ice domination.

Although the Hawks’ sexual-assault scandal and Wirtz’s outburst in a 2022 town-hall meeting discussing the scandal complicated his legacy, he remained a larger-than-life figure and will be remembered as one of the most influential people in the city’s hockey history.

He was surrounded Tuesday by his wife, Marilyn, and his four children — Danny, Hillary, Kendall and Elizabeth — when he died at NorthShore Evanston Hospital.

“Our hearts are very heavy today,” Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “Our dad was a passionate businessman committed to making Chicago a great place to live, work and visit, but his true love was for his family and close friends.

“He was a loving father, a devoted husband to Marilyn, a brother, a nephew, an uncle and a doting grandfather to his six remarkable grandchildren. His passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of many and we will miss him terribly.” 

Rocky Wirtz, a 1975 Northwestern graduate, was also a titan of Chicago business. Since 1980, he had led the family’s liquor distribution company, which has been known as Breakthru Beverage Group since a merger in 2016. One year prior, Forbes had estimated the family’s net worth at $4.4 billion.

He also oversaw the eponymous Wirtz Corp.’s abundant real estate, banking and entertainment holdings, which includes co-ownership of the United Center with Bulls and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.

“This is just shocking news, and I am personally devastated,” Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Rocky truly was a great man. We were far more than partners at the United Center. We were very close; he was a dear friend and our trust, our bond, was unbreakable.”

“Everyone liked Rocky. He was smart, passionate, generous, personable and friendly. He cared deeply about the Blackhawks, the people who worked for the team and at the United Center, Blackhawks fans and the city of Chicago. … His passing came far too soon as he had so very much to live for.”

After taking control of the Hawks in 2007, Wirtz brought a much-welcomed, much-needed fresh perspective, dramatically reversing course from the frugal, old-fashioned approach which his father Bill and grandfather Arthur had followed while running the team since the family first acquired it in 1954.

Wirtz poured financial investment into the on-ice roster and off-ice front office, most notably hiring John McDonough away from the Cubs to initiate what became the extremely successful…