He served as General Sales Manager, and later as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. But there’s also Bowman’s draft record. [citation needed]. . Could the Blackhawks roster be headed for a massive shakeup? He rebuilt the front office and helped guide the organization toward a winning vision. I cover hockey and the intersection of sports, business and technology. Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz’ son, Daniel, will occupy the job on an interim basis and the search for a replacement will begin immediately.

It’s too early to predict what’s next. , “A decision like this isn’t made on one game, one play, or one specific thing. 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. 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. McDonough was also instrumental in bringing the NHL Winter Classic 2009 to Chicago, a contest which matched up the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings in front of 40,818 at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009. Debuting in 1985, this was the first event of its kind in sports and is now viewed as a prototype for professional team and league fan festivals.

The organization's ranking marked the best among Chicago's professional sports teams. 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. The NHL still has to establish a plan as to whether they will resume this year and how the league will function, . '', Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap, More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports, FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2015, file photo, Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough gets ready to answer questions during a media availability in South Bend, Ind.

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.

(AP Photo/Joe Raymond, File). 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.

“Thirteen years ago, I recruited John to the Blackhawks because of his leadership, direction and vision,” Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. Over his tenure, McDonough. The list of former Blackhawks first-rounders also includes Kevin Hayes and Teuvo Teravainen, who both have gone on to solid NHL careers. As difficult as this is, we believe it was the right decision for the future of the organization and its fans.”. In his tenure with the team, the Blackhawks have moved quickly to revitalize the team's profile and fan base, in what Forbes Magazine called "The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever." McDonough was a big factor in Chicago's rise to the top tier of the NHL on and off the ice. John McDonough is no longer the president and CEO of the Chicago Blackhawks after the team announced his release from the organization.

Stan Bowman has served as general manager for almost 11 years, but the Blackhawks haven't made the playoffs since 2017 - a painful drought for a franchise that hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Upon his arrival to the Blackhawks, McDonough welcomed back Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito as team ambassadors, and helped foster a landmark partnership with WGN Television and Comcast SportsNet which allowed all 82 regular-season games to be broadcast on television for the first time in team history. For now, the day-to-day rests in the hands of Danny Wirtz. On June 1, 2011, McDonough was promoted to President and CEO of the Blackhawks.


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. McDonough's first work as a sports executive was with the Chicago Sting, Chicago's franchise in the North American Soccer League (NASL).