Unpacking The Chicago Blackhawks’ Decision To Part Ways With President & CEO John McDonough

It’s the end of an era. John McDonough is no longer the president and CEO of the Chicago Blackhawks after the team announced his release from the organization Monday. Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz’ son Daniel will occupy the job on an interim basis and the search for a replacement will begin immediately.

“Thirteen years ago, I recruited John to the Blackhawks because of his leadership, direction and vision,” 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.”

McDonough’s impact on the Blackhawks cannot be understated. When Wirtz first hired him away from the Chicago Cubs organization in 2007, the club desperately needed a makeover. Over his tenure, McDonough ushered in a period where the Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups (erasing a 47-season drought), lead the NHL in attendance with 531 home sellouts and played a crucial role in televising the club’s home games. He also mended relationships with former Blackhawks stars Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito, bringing them back as team ambassadors.

On the surface, McDonough’s departure comes as a surprise. Wirtz appeared on NBC Sports Chicago’s Blackhawks Talk podcast and expressed a vote of confidence in the current management structure saying, “They will figure it out.” It’s apparent the mediocre performance of the team since their last Stanley Cup victory in 2015 (the club was on pace to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season), and the uncertainty of how the world will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, has caused Wirtz to change course. A full rebuild is coming in Chicago, and the McDonough situation shows nobody is untouchable.

The foundation McDonough built, establishing the Blackhawks as arguably the best franchise in the NHL, has been eroding for years now, at least on the ice. A lot of that ties to the perception of Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and it raises the question of whether Bowman’s job is in jeopardy.

Bowman replaced Dale Tallon in 2009 as the club’s GM, immediately presiding over the first of three Stanley Cup victories. Like McDonough, Bowman was a key participant in the Blackhawks’ ascension to the top of league. But his decision making has been questioned at times.

In Nov. 2018, Bowman relieved Joel Quenneville of his duties as head coach. The club had already missed the playoffs a year earlier and was five games into what would finish as an eight-game losing streak. But Quenneville was arguably not at the center of the team’s struggles. The talent level of the roster had diminished just two years removed from a 109-point season.

To be fair, other factors played into Quenneville’s dismissal. Bowman told the Chicago Tribune in 2018, “A decision like this isn’t made on one game, one play, or one specific thing. “It’s sort of a collection of things.” You can’t fault Bowman, McDonough and management for seeking a fresh start. And If Quenneville’s replacement, then-33-year-old wunderkind coach Jeremy Colliton, had turned the club around, the decision could have aged better.

But there’s also Bowman’s draft record. Outside of Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin, who were all acquired in the last two drafts, the most recent Blackhawks first-round pick still with the organization is Patrick Kane, according to Hockey-Reference.com. Bowman notoriously punted on the bright futures of Henri Jokiharju and Nick Schmaltz (although, the Schmaltz deal brought over a talented young center in Dylan Strome). The list of former Blackhawks first-rounders also includes Kevin Hayes and Teuvo Teravainen, who both have gone on to solid NHL careers.

This is not an indictment of Bowman’s tenure. Winning three Stanley Cups would earn any GM the latitude to operate how they choose. However, changes at the top of the organization may flow down, and the Blackhawks of recent memory haven’t done much to bolster Bowman or Colliton’s case.

And how far will the overhaul extend? Could the Blackhawks roster be headed for a massive shakeup? Even with matching $10.5 million cap hits, both Kane and Jonathan Toews are valuable trade chips that could benefit nearly every roster around the league.

It’s too early to predict what’s next. The NHL still has to establish a plan as to whether they will resume this year and how the league will function in a world altered by COVID-19. In the team release, Wirtz did cite the ongoing pandemic and NHL pause “as an opportunity to reassess the team’s future and to set a renewed positive direction for the organization.”

For now, the day-to-day rests in the hands of Danny Wirtz. The Blackhawks release noted him as “an active advisor with the Blackhawks for the past decade.” And John McDonough’s contributions should not be discounted. Without him, who knows if the Blackhawks would have recaptured the massive success they found over the last 10 years.

“While we can reassure our fans there will be hockey again, no one knows what that will look like,” Rocky Wirtz said. “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.”


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