Before the NHL season was put on pause amid the COVID-19 crisis, the Blackhawks were on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. It’s unclear whether that will still be the case, given the creative ideas being thrown around as the league prepares to potentially modify its playoff format for this season if and when hockey returns.
Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz joined the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast to discuss the unprecedented situation and admitted he's optimistic the season will finish in some capacity. He also talked about what went into the decision to suspend the NHL season, the dialogue he's had with the other 30 NHL owners and takes us through his conversation with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf about paying United Center employees during the COVID-19 hiatus.
And yes, Wirtz even addressed the state of the franchise and strongly believed the Blackhawks' management group, led by President & CEO John McDonough and GM Stan Bowman, will steer the ship back on course.
"You look at everything,” Wirtz said. “You're looking at salaries, you're looking at free agents, you're looking at signing college players, free agents in Europe. The nice thing is, John McDonough and his crew, and Stan Bowman, in my humble opinion, we have a good organization. They will figure it out. On my epitaph and on my tombstone with my kids, I promise you, it's going to say: ‘Just figure it out.’ It's going to be the day I was born, the day I died and, 'Just figure it out.' They will figure it out. I promise you."
Listen to the full episode here:
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