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Sep 26 2007 2:18PM EDT

NHL Loses Controversial Stalwart Blackhawks' Owner Wirtz

The NHL lost a titan today, with the passing of Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz at 77.

Once condolences were offered, blogs were abuzz on how his departure from this world would benefit the hockey team, which hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1961.

There was this from Steve Rosenbloom on chicagosports.com:

"I know it sounds insensitive, but if we are going to pass ourselves off as being in the truth business, then the truth is that the greatest impediment to the Hawks success was the Hawks owner, one of the worst in sports history from a fan's standpoint and the man who almost singlehandedly killed hockey interest in this city. Rich, stubborn and backward, Wirtz's business practices were rooted in another century, protecting the laughable concept of 'season reservation holders.'"

And this from Deadspin.com:

"It's always sad to see a human being shuffle off this mortal coil, but we'd all be kidding ourselves if we didn't acknowledge that long-suffering Blackhawks fans will be pleased that he no longer owns their team."

Wirtz certainly held fast to his beliefs through the decades, including his refusal to televise most home games thinking that would hurt gate receipts. He was a hard-liner, and he didn't like to spend money. But he loved hockey.

Wirtz was chairman of the Board of Governors of the NHL for 18 years and helped negotiate the merger of the NHL and the World Hockey Association in the late 1970's.

And with Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Wirtz helped back the construction of the United Center, which replaced the Chicago Stadium. But since moving 12 years ago, the Blackhawks have made just four playoff appearances and only two since 1997.

As a result, the Blackhawks - one of the six original NHL teams - average about 12,700 fans per game in an arena that seats 20,500.

Hockey maven Stan Fischler, author of more than 100 books on the sport, sees Wirtz as a hero.

``Bill Wirtz and his family saved the NHL in the 1950s,'' Fischer says. "He did innumerable positive things for the game but, unfortunately, was both misunderstood and unfairly maligned by many."


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