Why Danny Wirtz is interviewing GM candidates outside of NHL originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago Blackhawks are on the hunt for a new general manager after Stan Bowman resigned following the investigation into allegations of sexual assault from 2010.
One surprise candidate for the role is Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jeff Greenberg, while every other candidate interviewed so far comes from NHL front offices.
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"We have been having conversations, not just through the interview process, with other executives in other sports," Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz told David Kaplan.
And while the sports are different, there are skillsets and knowledge that are transferrable.
"You learn about how they approach player evaluation and scouting systems and player development. All the things that go into player performance and biometrics," Wirtz said. "I mean, these are very advanced concepts that different sports have have led in in different ways.
"And so it's just good diligence for us to really understand how other sports are approaching these things because look, we want to win and we will look for every possible chance to have competitive advantage.
"And so I think you would think less of me not to look under every, every rock to find some of that insight that could help us get back to winning championships."
Baseball in particular has embraced analytics. It's the premise of the movie Moneyball. Fun fact, Paul DePodesta, the inspiration for Jonah Hill's character in the film, jumped sports from Major League Baseball to the NFL. DePodesta currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer and has helped oversee the franchise's turnaround since joining in 2016.
Likewise, John McDonough made the jump from the Cubs to the Blackhawks in November 2007 and helped lead the team to three Stanley Cup victories. McDonough was released by the team in April 2020 and was also implicated in the investigations into sexual assault and lack of action by the team in 2010.
The Cubs have embraced analytics and data particularly when Theo Epstein took over. They've built out things like the "Pitch Lab" and leveraged technology to bolster the arms on their roster.
The Blackhawks have also interviewed Tampa Bay Director of Hockey Operations Mathieu Darche, current Interim GM Kyle Davidson, Carolina Assistant GM Eric Tulsky, former Montreal Assistant GM Scott Mellanby and St. Louis Vice President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli.
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