A day after the Chicago Blackhawks released former President and CEO John McDonough, the long-time executive released a letter thanking the team and its fans for more than a decade of support.
McDonough, who joined the Blackhawks in 2007 and was with the organization through a run that included three Stanley Cup championships and five conference final appearances, called his time with the team “the ride of a lifetime,” and said he will look back on his time in Chicago with fondness.
“It was the ride of a lifetime,” McDonough said. “I would like to thank Rocky, the Wirtz family, our staff, the players, the ambassadors and the fans for all they have done for the organization. I will forever be grateful to them and proud of what we accomplished together. Blackhawks fans are so incredibly passionate and loyal and are deserving of a consistent winner.”
McDonough also quoted his late father, who had a phrase he liked to use for those he found to be “dignified, respectful and worth of admiration.”
“He would say they had ‘class a la mode,’” he said. “That perfectly describes the Wirtz family and the Chicago Blackhawks.”
