The Breakaway
Northwestern University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8101-3888-9 (ISBN)
Arthur Wirtz founded the family's business empire during the Depression. From roots in real estate, "King Arthur" soon expanded into liquor and banking, running his operations with an iron hand and a devotion to profit that earned him the nickname Baron of the Bottom Line. His son Bill further expanded the conglomerate, taking the helm of the Blackhawks in 1966. "Dollar Bill" Wirtz demanded unflinching adherence to Arthur's traditions and was notorious for an equally fierce temperament.
Yet when Rocky took the reins of the business after Bill's death, it was an organization out of step with the times and financially adrift. The Hawks weren't only failing on the ice—the parlous state of the team's finances imperiled every facet of the Wirtz empire. To save the team and the company, Rocky launched a radical turnaround campaign. Yet his modest proposal to televise the Hawks' home games provoked fierce opposition from Wirtz family insiders, who considered any deviation from Arthur and Bill's doctrines to be heresy.
Rocky's break with the edicts of his grandfather and father led to a reversal for the ages—three Stanley Cup championships in six years, a feat Fortune magazine called "the greatest turnaround in sports business history." But this resurrection came at a price, a fracturing of Rocky's relationships with his brother and other siblings. In riveting prose that recounts a story spanning three generations, The Breakaway reveals an insider's view of a brilliant but difficult Chicago business and sports dynasty and the inspiring story of perseverance and courage in the face of intense family pressures.
Bryan Smith is a senior writer at Chicago magazine and a contributing editor for Men's Health. He is a two-time winner and six-time finalist for the National City and Regional Magazine Association's Writer of the Year award. His work has been featured in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Newspaper Writing, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Foreword
Prologue
1. A Legacy of Boos
2. Worse Than It Seemed
3. King Arthur
4. It Happens on Ice
5. Fathers and Sons
6. The Son Also Rises
7. Wirtz Family Values
8. Bill Grabs the Puck
9. The Penalty Box
10. Freefall
11. The Passing of Dollar Bill
12. Meet the New Boss
13. The Ex-Cub Factor
14. A Change of Channel
15. Resurrection
16. A Tough Call
17. "What It Feels Like to be a Wirtz"
18. What Just Happened?
19. The Breakaway
Erscheinungsdatum | 30.09.2018 |
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Reihe/Serie | Second to None: Chicago Stories |
Zusatzinfo | 20 black & white images |
Verlagsort | Evanston |
Sprache | englisch |
Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
Gewicht | 618 g |
Themenwelt | Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte |
Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Beruf / Finanzen / Recht / Wirtschaft ► Wirtschaft | |
Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport ► Ballsport | |
Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Wirtschaftsgeschichte | |
ISBN-10 | 0-8101-3888-3 / 0810138883 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-8101-3888-9 / 9780810138889 |
Zustand | Neuware |
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