Ilitch Holdings President & CEO CHRIS ILITCH will now oversee the Tigers and Red Wings with his father MIKE's passing, but it is "unclear how or if [Chris] will impact the operation of either storied franchise," according to Jim Lynch of the DETROIT NEWS. Chris Ilitch's ascension within his father's holdings has been "underway for more than a decade." A succession plan announced in May "centered on a desire for Ilitch Holdings to remain '100 percent Ilitch-family owned,'" and it affirmed Chris Ilitch as the "successor to his parents’ roles." But despite his role as CEO, the "splashiest headlines out of the family -- typically linked with personnel moves for the Tigers or Red Wings -- almost always involved his father." Mike Ilitch's "willingness to open the checkbook to help bring a championship title to Detroit made him a favorite of the fans." Much of the company’s recent focus has been on "transforming the area between Detroit’s downtown and Midtown into a sports and entertainment hub." District Detroit will "encompass 50 blocks" and include the $733M Little Caesars Arena, "home later this year to the Red Wings and the Pistons." Chris Ilitch has been "front and center" at nearly "every stage of its development." In November, he was onstage with Pistons Owner TOM GORES to "announce the team would be returning to Detroit for the first time in nearly 40 years" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/14). In St. Louis, Jeff Gordon writes Mike Ilitch "set the standard for hometown sports owners." He was the "anti-[STAN] KROENKE," as he "didn’t run his sports teams like a dispassionate land baron" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/14).
