The Blackhawks have added the title of CEO to team President JOHN MCDONOUGH. McDonough took over operations for the organization in '07, and during his tenure the team has increased its season-ticket sales from 3,400 to more than 14,000, sold out 146 consecutive games and boasted the NHL’s best regular-season attendance average for the past three seasons. McDonough helped the Blackhawks secure the '09 NHL Winter Classic, which was played before 40,818 fans at Wrigley Field. He also signed integral local media deals with Comcast SportsNet, WGN Television and WGN-AM (Fred Dreier, SportsBusiness Journal). In Chicago, Chris Kuc reported McDonough "recently completed extensive meetings that assessed every aspect of the organization," and he was "disappointed in the Hawks' failure to repeat their 2010 championship, but not overly surprised." McDonough: "There were so many changes, and it was such a huge transition with maybe a 40 percent (roster) turnover." On whether the Blackhawks are making money, McDonough said, "We're making great, great progress in that area. It's vastly improved" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/1). Comcast SportsNet Chicago's David Kaplan said, “John McDonough has done the unthinkable. To take the franchise where it was to where it is today -- the value of the franchise has gone up exponentially, they won the Stanley Cup, they are a first class organization. And today ROCKY WIRTZ rewarded him” (“Chicago Tribune Live,” Comcast SportsNet Chicago, 6/1).
