Chicago NHL team owner Rocky Wirtz dead at 70

Rocky Wirtz, who won three Stanley Cups as owner of the Chicago NHL team and presided over the team during one of the league's biggest scandals, has died. He was 70.

The team said in a release that Wirtz died on Tuesday, and it said it was a "sudden passing." But no further details were provided.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release that the league was "deeply saddened" by Wirtz's death.

"Devoted to family and Chicago, Rocky was a native son of Chicago and an accomplished businessman," Bettman said. "Rocky took over control of the [franchise] in 2007 and almost immediately restored the passion and following of this storied, Original Six franchise."

We are deeply saddened to join the Wirtz Family in mourning the sudden passing of our Chairman W. Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz today at the age of 70. <a href="https://t.co/WA58pXWl9M">pic.twitter.com/WA58pXWl9M</a>

Rocky Wirtz was two years old when his grandfather, Arthur Wirtz, purchased the NHL club in 1954. Rocky Wirtz took over the team after his father, William, died in September 2007.

William Wirtz was nicknamed "Dollar Bill" for his frugality when it came to acquiring the services of the game's best players. And the team struggled while playing in front of small crowds in its early years at the United Center, making only one playoff appearance from 1998-2008.

Everything changed when Rocky Wirtz became the team chairman. He helped re-establish the franchise's connection to some of its best players from the past. He put the team's games back on local TV, and fans returned to the United Center during a lengthy sellout streak that ended in 2021.

With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane leading the way on the ice, Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

Wirtz