The Chicago Blackhawks fire president John McDonough
In a surprising announcement on Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks officially declared through a team news release that they had let go of team president John McDonough, who had been with the club since 2007.
“While we can reassure our fans that there will be hockey again, no one knows what that will look like” said Blackhawks’ owner Rocky Wirtz in the press release. “What we do know is that it will take a new mindset to successfully transition the organization to win both on and off the ice.”
McDonough has been with the organization for 13 seasons and led the club to three Stanley Cups – the most successful decade in the team’s storied history. It wasn’t enough for the president to keep his job though.
“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,” Wirtz continued in the 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 is was the right decision for the future of the organization and fans.”
In the same press release announcing McDonough’s departure, the club announced that vice-president and son of owner Rocky, Danny Wirtz would be stepping up to take over the presidency on an interim basis.
“I take the interim role with utmost responsibility to the team and will focus on resetting the framework for the next generation of the Chicago Blackhawks,” Danny Wirtz said in the statement. “I look forward to working with Rocky to identify our next leader.”
While the Blackhawks did win Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015, they haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 and were likely set to miss out again this season prior to the league being suspended. The Blackhawks were sitting dead last in the Central division and were six points behind the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Chicago’s last game took place back on March 11th when they defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-2 in front of their home fans at the United Center.
Even with the team’s recent struggles though, most thought that McDonough would be given the opportunity to help turn the ship around considering what he had won over the last decade and how he managed to market the club off the ice. The club’s poor performances over the past few seasons still hasn’t hindered their active sellout streak of 531 games, an impressive feat to say the least. Unfortunately for the 66-year-old, the chance to help rebuild the franchise again isn’t coming this time.
McDonough joined the Blackhawks in November 2007 after serving as the president of the Chicago Cubs of the MLB. He has not yet announced what his plans for the future hold, but as one of the most respected executives across the NHL, there will be another job waiting for him if he so chooses.
