Let's hope Rocky Wirtz fights for what's right

For the last few weeks, as word spread through hockey circles that Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz was quite ill, those in the organization who have silently wished for change at the top have muttered the same two words:

"Rocky Wirtz."

Rocky, the eldest son of Bill -- who passed away Wednesday morning at 77 -- has been seen as the team's hope for the future.

True, we've been told this about others, and hoping things might change on the West Side is a mistake I've made repeatedly since the Hawks forced Bobby Hull out the door in 1972.

I'll not dance on a man's grave or relive the misery that has been the Hawks since Hull's departure, nor will I wonder why a club eschewed the invention of television. For all the mistakes, Bill Wirtz did love the Hawks, and that's perhaps the only thing we had in common.

I'll never forget speaking to him on Oct. 12, 2000, at the unveiling of the sculpture near the United Center.

As he scanned the bronze statue and noted the likeness of Hull and Keith Magnuson, and saw in attendance Tony Esposito, Denis Savard and Stan Mikita, I was stunned the man had tears in his eyes.

MORE COVERAGESTORIESWirtz had a good side that people never sawWho will run the team now?Those who knew him say Wirtz will be missedWirtz's ties to Lake CountyBarry Rozner: Let's hope Rocky Wirtz fights for what's rightMike Imrem: Sadly, Wirtz never did correct error of his waysAUDIOLegendary player Stan MikitaHead coach Denis SavardGeneral Manager Dale TallonPlayer Martin LapointePerhaps, at that moment, he was thinking of his dad, Arthur, the founder of the Wirtz empire, or maybe he had visions of the great eras of Hawks hockey, by then a distant memory.And as I pondered that, Bill Wirtz ceased being evil or a cartoon character to me.So rather than remember the bad, at least on this day, I choose to hope again, to hope that Rocky Wirtz will take over the club and wake the sleeping giant that is the Blackhawks.It's not a coincidence that he has had little to do with the club for years, but Rocky knew he could not change anything as long as the upper management remained in place.But now Rocky inherits control and voting stock of Wirtz Corporation, and if he so chooses, the Hawks as well.If he decides to clean up the Hawks, as some believe, there's a strong chance he will remove the Bob Pulford influence and bring in competent executives to run the hockey operation.The Hawks need a clean sweep of the entire hockey operation, and there's every indication that Rocky Wirtz is the man to make it happen, and the best tribute he could pay his late father would be to put a winner on the ice behind a first-rate organization.Maybe it's a mistake to have high hopes, but I make no apologies for admitting -- again -- that growing up here in the 1970s, pro hockey was to me what baseball and football were to others, and I was hardly alone.So I continue to hope they'll clean house and bring in people who understand today's game, even if we have to wait until spring to see it happen.North Side president John McDonough might be looking for work, and though his background isn't in hockey, he knows how to hire the right people, and handing him that same title on the West Side would be a good start to resurrecting a dead organization.In any case, forgive me in advance if I'm wrong again for thinking that the Hawks might someday matter in Chicago, that Rocky -- if he decides to take over the team -- can end the infighting that has caused its irrelevancy.In the meantime, let's give Rocky Wirtz, and peace, a chance.