Wirtz had a good side that people never saw

The last time those of us in the Chicago hockey media saw Bill Wirtz was at the May 29 news conference at the United Center to introduce prized rookie Jonathan Toews.

Wirtz was running late -- he always seemed to be rushing from or headed to another business meeting -- and when he arrived, his secretary quickly put Toews' multimillion-dollar contract in front of him to sign. He grabbed a pen and did it right there in front of everyone.

That was Bill Wirtz, old school through and through.

Wirtz spoke only briefly to the media that day. That's about all we got in the latter years, quick minutes with the Blackhawks' controversial owner who died of cancer Wednesday at Evanston Hospital at age 77.

Ever since he suffered several strokes in recent years, the Hawks sheltered him from the public as much as possible, which was too bad because this was a man always with something to say.

Years ago Wirtz would regularly invite writers into his Chicago Stadium office for chats, and if you ever needed something back in the day, you could call him at home and he would answer the phone himself.

For a guy who was crucified by the media, perhaps more than any sports owner ever around here, Wirtz didn't loathe reporters. He was a man who understood he was going to be criticized, took it like a professional, and even joked about how he was perceived by the media and fans.

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 Lapointe"I'd rather be booed and be in business than be loved and be in Chapter 11," Wirtz once said.Wirtz was nicknamed "Dollar Bill" for the way he tried to keep the salaries of his hockey stars down, and he seemed to enjoy the tag."That was a great name, 'Dollar Bill,' but they forgot to put the hundred thousand or million in front of it because that's what he gave out," Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita said Wednesday of the charity work Wirtz did, mostly behind the scenes because that's the way he wanted it."I can honestly say from my experience because of the hockey camp I run, the hearing-impaired program, every year we got a nice check from him, and if we didn't have that we couldn't keep it going," Mikita said.Wirtz was engaging, a terrific storyteller with a good sense of humor, dedicated to his family, loyal to those who worked for him -- perhaps to a fault -- and a guy who loved hockey and his hockey team."His family No. 1, and his hockey team, those were the two favorite things in his life," Blackhawks coach Denis Savard said.Fans and the media didn't approve of the way Wirtz ran the Blackhawks, but if you got to know him, you liked him. And he treated his players as if they were family members.Wirtz would lend players money, saying it would come later off their paychecks, but it never would. When former Hawks great Keith Magnuson was killed in a car accident, Wirtz headed straight to Magnuson's home to be among the first to comfort his wife.At Savard's Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2000, Wirtz could be seen in the audience weeping."He was father figure, kind of a second father approach," said Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon. "He was always there in time of need; anybody was in need, he was there. He loved his hockey team and he loved the game."Wirtz once was considered the most powerful man in hockey as chairman of the National Hockey League's Board of Governors. He was a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, and of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed because of his tireless support of amateur hockey in the Chicago area and nationally.Wirtz appeared to be in good health in July, always a little wobbly from the strokes, but sharp and eager to talk about his team and the signing of Toews, a potential star. He was admitted to the hospital in late August with cancer that had spread to his bladder and lungs, and early Wednesday morning succumbed to the disease.Bill Wirtz never won a Stanley Cup as Blackhawks president, and he made the final decisions to let superstars such as Bobby Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour and Chris Chelios leave town over money matters. And though he held steadfastly to his father Arthur's family policy of not televising home games, all that shouldn't matter today.Some Blackhawks fans no doubt took delight Wednesday when news broke that Wirtz had died, and that's a shame. If those fans ever had the opportunity to be around the man for a brief time, they would have felt differently.