Following the unexpected passing of Rocky Wirtz last week at the age of 70, the Original Six NHL franchise will now be owned by the fourth generation of the Wirtz Family.
Arthur. Rocky and Bill. It appears that Danny Wirtz will soon take over as the major owner of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wirtz Family has done it in the past. In the event that the current patriarch passes away, the eldest son assumes leadership.
As a result, Danny Wirtz, 46, is set to take over as head coach of the Blackhawks after his father, W. Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, 70, passed away suddenly on July 25 after a brief illness. In December 2020, Danny was appointed team CEO and has since become a more prominent senior executive.
He served as the Blackhawks’ ownership-level spokesperson and face as of the previous season. When the Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Danny was on the stage in Nashville.
The workings of a family business, particularly a well-known one with rumored billions in value, can be convoluted and take unexpected twists. The Blackhawks, estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.5 billion in 2022, have generated a respectable return on investment since real estate tycoon Arthur Wirtz, Danny’s great grandpa, purchased the team for $1 million in 1954.
However, the Blackhawks are managed by the Wirtz Corporation, a larger private holding company that was established in 1926 by Arthur Wirtz. It asserts to have more than 3,000 staff members and $2 billion in annual sales. That would result in a substantially higher overall value for the Wirtz Corporation.
The Wirtz Corporation owns banking, real estate, and other assets. Breakthru Beverage Group, a massive distributor of alcoholic beverages across North America, is the top-listed company on its website, receiving more credit than the Blackhawks. Danny Wirtz served as Breakthru’s vice chairman prior to Rocky’s passing. Co-chairman of the business was Rocky.
In the fall of 2022, Danny met with us privately for the 2023 The Hockey News Money & Power Edition. (Purchase a copy. At the time, he acknowledged being an active manager in other Wirtz Corporation businesses but claimed that managing the Blackhawks was his “day job.”
Rocky chose to live on Winnetka, Illinois on Chicago’s North Shore while Danny chose to reside in the city. “Some days it is more one than another,” Danny stated. However, I believe that is just how family businesses operate.
We’ll go back and update this narrative after the abrupt change in ownership of the Blackhawks. The Money & Power edition’s Blackhawks section was too large to include everything. It is coming. Follow us for more.