Danny Wirtz

Last updated
Danny Wirtz
Born
Daniel Wirtz

1977 (1977) [1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Boston College
Occupation(s)Chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks
President of Wirtz Corporation
SpouseAnne Wirtz
Children2
Family Rocky Wirtz (father)
Bill Wirtz (grandfather)
Arthur Wirtz (great grandfather)

Daniel Wirtz is an American businessman who is the owner and chairman of the Wirtz Corporation, a Chicago-based holding company that owns the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League, oversees real estate properties across the Chicago area, and manages one of the largest liquor distribution companies in the United States. [2] He is the son of Rocky Wirtz, and inherited the Wirtz Corporation from his father, who died in 2023. Wirtz is the fourth generation of the family to own the Blackhawks, and the sixth principal owner in franchise history.

Contents

Early life

Wirtz grew up in Winnetka, Illinois. [3] His father, Rocky Wirtz, his grandfather Bill, and great-grandfather Arthur were all entrepreneurs who owned the Chicago Blackhawks. [4] Wirtz went to high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. He was the starting goaltender for the school's varsity ice hockey team and won a state championship as a senior in 1995. [5] [6] He then attended Boston College. [3] Upon graduation, Wirtz initially wished to pursue a career in music, entertainment, and marketing rather than working for the Wirtz Corporation. [3] Wirtz is fan of Ministry, and would often send Al Jourgensen tickets to Blackhawks home games. [7] Jourgensen hired Wirtz as his personal assistant, roadie, and guitar tech while the band was touring in 1999. [8] [7] [9] The two remained close friends, [10] with Jourgensen writing the song "Keys to City" as a gift to the Wirtz family. [11]

Executive career

Wirtz became more involved in his family's business following his grandfather's death in 2007. [3] He assisted in operating many of Wirtz Corporation's holdings, including Breakthru Beverage, Wirtz Realty and banking interests. [1] He eventually became vice president of the Blackhawks and alternate Governor to the NHL, while also serving as active advisor for the Blackhawks. [1] Outside of the Wirtz Corporation, Wirtz co-founded Banner Collective, a production company, in 2013, [12] and joined Varyer, an advertising agency, as a partner in 2018. [1] [13]

He became the interim president of the Blackhawks following the dismissal of John McDonough in April 2020. Wirtz became the chief executive officer of the Blackhawks in December. [14]

Wirtz became the owner and chairman of the Wirtz Corporation in July 2023 following his father's death. [15] In one of his first moves as chairman, he purchased the Chicago Steel of the USHL on August 1. [16]

Wirtz was named co-chairman of the Breakthru Beverage Group on August 28. [17]

Personal life

Wirtz, and his wife, Anne, have two daughters: Rosemary and Juniper. [18] Wirtz describes music as his "balancing piece" and is an avid concertgoer. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Blackhawks</span> National Hockey League team in Illinois, United States

The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and have won six Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926. They are one of the "Original Six" NHL teams, along with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. Since 1995, the team has played their home games at the United Center, which they share with the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls; both teams previously played at the now-demolished Chicago Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Stadium</span> Former indoor stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. It was used for numerous other sporting events, opening with a championship boxing match in March 1929. The Stadium was built by Paddy Harmon, a promoter, who sank his entire fortune into the project, only to lose control to the Stadium shareholders, and leave his family nearly penniless a year later when he died. After exiting receivership in 1935, the Stadium was owned by the Norris and Wirtz families until its closure in 1994.

William Wadsworth Wirtz was the chief executive officer and controlling shareholder of the family-owned Wirtz Corporation. He was best known as the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League, who are part of Wirtz Corp's holdings. Wirtz also served as the Blackhawks' team president for over four decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Steel</span> United States Hockey League team

The Chicago Steel are members of the United States Hockey League, joining the league in 2000. The Steel have played their home games at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois, since 2015; previously, the team played at Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois, from 2000 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Richmond</span> American ice hockey player (born 1984)

Daniel "Danny" Richmond is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who most recently played for Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He is the son of former NHL defenseman, Steve Richmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Foley</span> American ice hockey commentator (born 1954)

Pat Foley is an American retired play-by-play commentator for ice hockey.

Arthur Michael Wirtz was an American entrepreneur. He was the founder of Wirtz Corporation, a holding company that owned Chicago Stadium, the Bismarck Hotel in Chicago, the Chicago Black Hawks, and the Chicago Bulls. He was the father of the late Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, as well as the grandfather of the late Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, who died on July 25, 2023.

James Dougan Norris was an American sports businessman, with interests in boxing, ice hockey, and horse racing. He was the son of James E. Norris and half-brother of Bruce Norris and Marguerite Norris. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youngstown Phantoms</span> Ice hockey team in Youngstown, Ohio

The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned by Bruce J. Zoldan and Troy Loney along with his wife Aafke Loney. In the summer of 2018, the Loney's sold their interests to the Black Bear Sports Group led by CEO Murry Gunty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Sports Chicago</span> American regional sports network

NBC Sports Chicago is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports-related news, discussion and entertainment programming. It is branded as part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Wirtz</span> American businessman (1952–2023)

William Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz was an American businessman. He was the principal owner and chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He was also president of the Blackhawks' parent company, the Wirtz Corporation, a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Chicago. Under Wirtz's leadership, the Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015, reversing a period of declining fan interest and on-ice performance. He oversaw Wirtz Corporation's commercial and residential real estate companies, wine and spirits distributor Breakthru Beverage Group, an insurance company, and banks in Illinois and Florida. Wirtz was also half-owner of the Blackhawks' home arena, the United Center, along with Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He and Reinsdorf were co-chairmen of the arena's Executive Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keys to the City (song)</span> Song by Ministry

"Keys to the City" is a song from American industrial metal band Ministry, in collaboration with "Co-Conspirators", as a gift for the Chicago Blackhawks ice hockey team. The song was written by Al Jourgensen, Joshua Bradford and Paul Raven.

The 2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 84th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The season began on October 2, 2009, with a pair of games against the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, and ended on June 9, 2010, when the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, giving the organization its first NHL championship since 1961 and fourth overall. For the first time since the 1996–97 season, the Blackhawks made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The 2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks were voted by fans on NHL.com as one of the top 20 greatest teams in NHL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Broadhurst</span> American professional ice hockey forward

Alex Broadhurst is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly played with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaycob Megna</span> American ice hockey player (born 1992)

Jaycob Megna is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 7th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinnie Hinostroza</span> American ice hockey player

Vincent Enrique Hinostroza is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hinostroza was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He has previously played for the Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres.

Wirtz Corporation is an American holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1926 by Arthur Wirtz as a family-owned corporation to oversee his real estate holdings. The company shortly thereafter expanded into liquor distribution. The company grew significantly throughout the 20th century by purchasing many competing liquor distributors, as well as the Chicago Blackhawks NHL team, and the Chicago Bulls NBA team in 1972. Wirtz Corporation is part owner of the United Center arena, and also owns banking and insurance interests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Blackhawks name and logo controversy</span> US pro hockey team racism controversy

The Chicago Blackhawks name and logo controversy refers to the controversy surrounding the name and logo of the Chicago Blackhawks, a National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. The use of terms and images referring to Native Americans/First Nations as the name or mascot for a sports team without permissions from or consultations with local Indigenous communities is a topic of public controversy in the United States and Canada. Since the 1960s, as part of the indigenous civil rights movements, there have been a number of protests and other actions by Native Americans and their supporters targeting the more prominent use of such names and images by professional franchises such as the Cleveland Guardians formerly known as the "Indians" of Major League Baseball (MLB) that was officially discontinued in 2016; the Washington Commanders formerly known as the "Redskins" of the National Football League (NFL), the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and MLB's Atlanta Braves, the latter two attracting criticism of "the tomahawk chop" often performed by their fans. Like other teams with tribal mascots, there are calls from Indigenous activists and organizations to change the Blackhawks' name and logo and eliminate tribal mascots and imagery throughout sports. In contrast to generic names used by other teams, Blackhawks refers to a World War I-era U.S. Army division which was named for prominent Illinois-based Native American chief Black Hawk.

Caley Chelios is a reporter and studio analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks, and former reporter/radio color commentator for the Tampa Bay Lightning. She has made a number of appearances on the NHL Network and ESPN.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "RELEASE: Blackhawks Release John McDonough". NHL. April 27, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz to succeed late father as Wirtz Corp. Chair & President". Sports Business Journal . August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Trotter, Greg (August 10, 2016). "Booze, not Blackhawks, built Wirtz wealth; grandson helps lead evolving firm". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ Daniels, Steve (July 31, 2023). "Danny Wirtz succeeds late father Rocky atop Wirtz Corp". Crain's Chicago Business . Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ Kapos, Shia (June 4, 2012). "Danny Wirtz, son of the Blackhawks CEO, moves up in the family business". Crain's Chicago Business . Archived from the original on 2012-06-07. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Ross, Forman (June 27, 2023). "Danny Wirtz preps for NHL Draft, reflects on Illinois High School Hockey State Championship". Amateur Hockey Association Illinois. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Jourgensen, Al (September 8, 2015). "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste". Ministry: The Lost Gospels According (1 ed.). Da Capo Press. p. 108. ISBN   978-0306824630. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Phil (October 17, 2023). "'He helped push me to trust my gut.' Danny Wirtz on how Rocky prepared him to lead the Chicago Blackhawks". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ Perkins, Tom (October 18, 2017). "Ministry's Al Jourgensen on how to avoid the 'corn dog circuit'". Metro Times . Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ Simms, Kelley (March 24, 2018). "Cover Story: Ministry [Updated]". Illinois Entertainer. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  11. ↑ Norton, Justin (July 31, 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Ministry's Al Jourgensen on His Memoir, Hockey, and Hanging with Republican Neighbors". MetalSucks . Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ Lazare, Lewis (February 27, 2013). "Chicago Blackhawks in-house video team form new company". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ Powers, Scott (April 28, 2020). "What I'm hearing about the Blackhawks as a team president search begins". The Athletic . Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Phil (December 16, 2020). "Stan Bowman elevated to president of hockey operations as the Chicago Blackhawks unveil a new 'vision' with Danny Wirtz as CEO and Jaime Faulkner in charge of business operations". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ Carlson, Matt (July 30, 2023). "Danny Wirtz: Next In Line As Chicago Blackhawks Top Boss". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. ↑ "USHL's Chicago Steel announce ownership sale to Wirtz Corporation". TSN . July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Danny Wirtz Elevated to Co-Chairman of Breakthru Beverage Group". Wine Industry Advisor. August 28, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  18. ↑ "DANNY WIRTZ - CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER". NHL. July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  19. ↑ Frost, Peter (2016). "40 under 40: Danny Wirtz". Crain's Chicago Business . Retrieved July 31, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.