When former Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook decided to retire in March 2021, as he recounted Wednesday, he drove to late Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz’s house to tell him personally and thank him for his support over the years.
But that simple message proved more difficult to share than he anticipated.
“It was hard to say thank you because we just talked the whole time,” Seabrook said. “He told stories; I told stories. It was 15 years’ [worth] of stories. We just kept going and going and going, one story after another. I spent about two hours at his place, and I’m pretty sure I got to thank him as I walked out the door to leave.
“But that was him. He made everybody comfortable, welcome and included. He was approachable, easy to talk to and treated everyone the same — with respect.”
Anecdotes like that abounded at Wirtz’s public memorial Wednesday at the United Center, where Wirtz’s family and friends plus hundreds of current and former Hawks players and staff filled seats on the arena floor while another 300 or so Hawks fans dotted the stands.
The public memorial followed a private memorial Tuesday at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Roughly 900 friends and family attended, including Patrick Kane, Connor Bedard, Joel Quenneville and Gary Bettman within the hockey sphere.
Wirtz’s son Danny, who is expected to ultimately assume Rocky’s position as Hawks chairman and head of the family’s liquor empire, delivered the eulogy Tuesday for his father, who died abruptly two weeks ago at age 70.
Wednesday, however, was a more Hawks-centric occasion, complete with a playing of “The Orchard” intro video and speeches by Darren Pang, Pat Foley, Chris Chelios, Marian Hossa and Seabrook.
Chelios broke down in tears when describing how a conversation with Wirtz inspired his daughter Caley — now a Hawks broadcaster herself — to pursue her dreams at Northwestern, Wirtz’s alma mater.
“He was always engaging, making you feel like he really, truly cared, and he really, truly did,” Chelios said.
Hossa recounted his meeting with Wirtz when he decided to retire in 2017. The two struck an agreement that eventually led to Hossa’s retirement ceremony and jersey retirement last November.
“Rocky took me out for dinner, and we talked about the possibility of trading my contract,” Hossa said. “I wasn’t too excited for that idea. ... I [told] him, if he traded my contract, I would love to return and officially retire as a Blackhawk. So we shook hands and he made a promise to me.
“After a few years, when it was time for me to officially retire, Rocky delivered [on] his promise.”
Foley posited that Wirtz might be the most popular owner in Chicago sports history, and a strong case can be made to support that claim. He was beloved not only by players for “pulling on the same rope together” with them, as Seabrook put it, but also by fans for his approachability and friendliness.
Tom DeGrado, a fan in attendance Wednesday, met Wirtz a couple times while helping set up Blackhawks Conventions at the Hilton Chicago years ago. His story echoes those told by countless others.
“He was always smiles,” DeGrado said. “One time my coworker yelled, ‘Hey Rocky, hold on a minute and let [Tom] hold the door for you.’ So he stopped and let me hold the door for him as he was leaving. As busy as he was, he stopped for 20 seconds for it.”
Jim Kerr, another fan in attendance Wednesday, came to pay his respects to the man he credited for reviving the franchise.
“The team that won the Cups was largely intact when he took over,” Kerr said. “But the marketing of the team and the business operations were pretty primitive. So he deserves credit for bringing the Blackhawks into the modern times. That was his legacy.”
