McDonough's legacy: Harry, Beanies, guest conductors

Beanie Babies, Harry Caray, guest conductors ... the list of accomplishments by former Cubs president turned Blackhawks president John McDonough goes on and on.

But for Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz, there was one accomplishment that stood out above the rest.

"He put a terrific organization together," Wirtz said. "Just look at the people he said he spoke to in the (Cubs) front office (Tuesday) morning. I don't know for a fact, but my guess is he hired most of those people, and in any organization, it's who you hire, who you retain and how you have them grow in your business. That's the most impressive thing to me."

It didn't hurt that McDonough's regime was also attracting 3 million Cubs fans a year. And to get those 3 million into Wrigley when the product was often less than stellar took a heck of a lot of creative thinking, something McDonough and his staff had in abundance.

"As many people as he got to that field; there were a lot of things we could be doing in Chicago besides going to a Cubs game," Wirtz said. "How he made Wrigley Field a destination ... it was very, very complimentary to him."

McDonough blanched initially when asked what his legacy with the Cubs might be, before eventually rattling off some of his top accomplishments.

"The Beanie Baby thing is going to follow me forever," he said. "For four or five years it filled stadiums across the country."

And?

"I'm very proud of the Cubs Convention," he said. "Part of the plan early on in my Cubs career was to create a 12-month-a-year plan -- to bridge the end of one season to another.

"I was there when it was 1,800 people, then 2,500 people and then it went to 15,000 and we've been sold out for 20-some years in a row."

Then there's ...

"The seventh inning stretch is something I'm very proud of, as crazy as that is," he said. "You've got these people -- sometimes international celebrities -- who come here and associate themselves with this brand and it helped reinforce, on a national basis, the impact of the Chicago Cubs."

And finally, how about that fun-loving guy with the big black glasses?

"One of the things that I will take away from the Chicago Cubs is my relationship with Harry Caray," he said. "He took me under his wing. I miss him even 10 years later."

When he took over as president of the Cubs last year, McDonough famously stated his main goal was to win the World Series.

That didn't work out, but, "being part of this year's team that won the division and went from last to first ranks right up there."

On Tuesday he set his sights just as high for the Blackhawks.

"I want to fill this building on a regular basis, and the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup," he said.

Now that would be some legacy.