CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks fired president and CEO John McDonough on Monday.
McDonough, who is being replaced on an interim basis by Danny Wirtz, was named Blackhawks president in 2007 after 24 years with the Chicago Cubs. He was their CEO since 2011.
The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015) during McDonough’s tenure and sold out a team-record 531 consecutive home games before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
“Thirteen years ago, I recruited John to the Blackhawks because of his leadership, direction and vision,” Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. “John brought all of that to the table and more. 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 was the right decision for the future of the organization and its fans.”
Wirtz said the coronavirus pandemic and League pause provided an opportunity to reassess the Blackhawks’ future and direction. Chicago (32-30-8) trails the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks by six points for the second wild card in the Western Conference and is in danger of missing the playoffs for a third straight season.
“While we can reassure our fans there will be hockey again, no one knows what that will look like. 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,” Wirtz said.
Danny Wirtz has been working for the Blackhawks as a vice president and alternate governor.
“I cannot adequately express my family’s appreciation to John for his contributions to the turnaround of the Chicago Blackhawks organization,” he said. “I take this interim role with the utmost responsibility to the team and will focus on resetting the framework for the next generation of the Chicago Blackhawks. I look forward to working with Rocky to identify our next leader.”
