Latest news with #DannyWirtz
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Chicago Blackhawks unveil renderings of renovated Fifth Third Arena
The Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday revealed renderings on their planned expansion for the Fifth Third Arena community ice rink a short distance from the United Center. Fifth Third Arena, at 1801 W. Jackson Blvd., first opened in 2017. It has been undergoing major renovations since May of last year. When those renovations are complete in January 2026, Fifth Third Arena will feature more than 250,000 square feet of community hockey space, state-of-the-art training facilities, and "versatile areas for the best athletes in the world, rising stars and the next generation of players," the Blackhawks said. "Through the Fifth Third Arena expansion, we are creating the epicenter of hockey in the Midwest," Danny Wirtz, chairman and chief executive officer of the Chicago Blackhawks, said in a news release. "This venue is where NHL superstars train alongside rising talent, creating an environment where championship dreams can take flight." The Blackhawks expect the revamped Fifth Third Arena to welcome more than 1.5 million guests per year. The team expects the arena will help catalyze an economic boost for the Near West Side, and will serve as the Midwest's leading destination for youth and amateur hockey — with seamless connectivity to the 1901 Project development plan around the United Center. Fifth Third Arena will also remain the official training home for the Blackhawks, and will become the permanent home for the Chicago Steel United States Hockey League team — which the Wirtz family acquired in 2023. The Blackhawks unveiled renderings for the following features: The Championship Arena will be one of two new rinks, with stadium-style seating, hospitality areas for 2,000 spectators, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, and exclusive party decks. This arena will be the new home of the Chicago Steel. Fifth Third Arena: Championship Arena Creative Admin Centennial Hall will celebrate 100 years of Blackhawks history, and will be the permanent physical home to the new Blackhawks Hall of Fame. Fifth Third Arena: Centennial Hall Creative Admin Fifth Third Arena: Centennial Hall Creative Admin Rocky's Bar, named for late Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, will anchor the food and beverage offerings at Fifth Third Arena. It will feature a premium cocktail menu and curated food offerings. Fifth Third Arena: Rocky's Bar Creative Admin Lounges at the Fifth Third Arena were set up with families in mind — with flexible workspaces, quiet areas with Wi-Fi access, and comfy seating. Fifth Third Arena: the lounge Creative Admin The Patio, an open-air space on the upper level of the arena, will offer unique views of the Chicago skyline and the future 1901 campus. The Blackhawks characterized The Patio as a perfect spot for pre- or post-game cocktails, business meetings, and watching sports on TV. It has room for 150. Fifth Third Arena: The Patio Creative Admin A Walk of Fame commemorative sidewalk along Jackson Boulevard will honor milestone moments and legendary players from the Blackhawks, with engraved plaques for the franchise's six Stanley Cup-winning teams and Hall of Fame inductees. Fifth Third Arena: the exterior Creative Admin
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Blackhawks unveil plans for a new Hall of Fame as part of their centennial season
The Chicago Blackhawks will launch a team Hall of Fame and host a series of other events to celebrate the franchise's 100th anniversary next season. The Hawks on Thursday announced plans for their centennial celebrations — themed 'Always An Original' — because the NHL Board of Governors awarded them and the Detroit Red Wings franchises on May 15, 1926. Both were admitted into the league formally on Sept. 25, 1926. Along the way, the Hawks won six Stanley Cups, have 47 players in the Hockey Hall of Fame (39 skaters and eight goaltenders have played at least one game for the franchise) and made contributions to hockey such as the curved stick (thank Stan Mikita for that). 'Since our inception, the Chicago Blackhawks have been more than just a hockey team — we've been an integral part of Chicago's identity and a driving force in the evolution of the sport,' Hawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said in a team statement. 'This centennial celebration isn't just about honoring our past achievements, but also about recommitting ourselves to innovation, community impact and excellence for the century ahead.' The team's new Hall of Fame will be based on votes from fans, alumni and media. Inductees will be based on two ballots: modern (2000-01 season or later) and heritage eras. Two alumni will be selected from each ballot each year. The inaugural ballot will be open mid-July at and will include the following players: Players who have had their jersey numbers retired are included in the Hawks Hall of Fame automatically. They are: Chris Chelios, Tony Esposito, Glenn Hall, Marian Hossa, Bobby Hull, Keith Magnuson, Mikita, Pierre Pilote and Denis Savard. Meanwhile, the Hawks' centennial celebration will unfold in four chapters, and each will include special game nights, interviews and giveaways. Fans who buy full season ticket packages by May 31 will receive exclusive centennial jackets and other perks. At an unspecified date in the fall, the Hawks will celebrate the team's first game with a fan event. More details will be announced with the league's schedule release this summer. 'What makes this celebration truly special is how it bridges generations of Blackhawks hockey,' Jaime Faulkner, Hawks president of business operations, said in the statement. 'When our young fans see decades-worth of alumni sharing the ice with our current roster on opening night, they'll understand they're part of something much bigger than just today's team — they're part of a legacy that has shaped the sport itself and will continue to do so for generations to come.'
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks launch Hall of Fame as part of centennial celebration
CHICAGO — Fans have been pleading with the Chicago Blackhawks for years to find a way to honor former players who didn't reach jersey-retirement level. If the Blackhawks aren't going to raise Steve Larmer's No. 28 jersey to the rafters, the thinking goes, he at least deserves some recognition from the organization. Advertisement Now the Blackhawks have a way to do that. As part of the first unveiling of plans for their centennial year, the team announced on Thursday that it is creating a Blackhawks Hall of Fame. 'The concept of a Hall of Fame has been in the works for a long time. If we're going to do it, let's do it right. Let's be thoughtful. Let's think of the criteria. Let's think about how we do this, where it lives, how it comes to life, like all the details that go into it,' Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said. 'So when we launch it, we're not going to launch it half-assed. It's going to be something really well presented, a real honor and something that can be sustainable kind of in perpetuity as a way to honor our history and our past.' The Blackhawks Hall of Fame, which will have a physical exhibition space as part of Fifth Third Arena's expansion, will include the nine players whose jerseys have already been retired and will add two new players every year. One player will be elected from the modern era, which includes players who completed their Blackhawks careers in the 2000-01 season or later, and one will be selected from 1999-2000 or earlier (dubbed the 'heritage era'). Players have to be retired from the NHL for at least three years to be eligible. The Blackhawks may also induct one 'builder,' such as a broadcaster or coach, through a selection committee each year. The Blackhawks Hall of Fame selections will be determined by vote. Fans, Blackhawks alumni and select media members will vote for one player from each of the two eras from a list of candidates, which will be determined by a selection committee. The three voting groups' results will be equally weighed to determine the final selections. Fan voting begins Thursday and runs through mid-July. The first modern-era ballot includes Tony Amonte, Brian Campbell, Corey Crawford, Eric Daze, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Shaw, Steve Sullivan, Jocelyn Thibault and Alexei Zhamnov. Advertisement The first heritage-era ballot includes Ed Belfour, Doug Bentley, Johnny Gottselig, Dirk Graham, Dennis Hull, Cliff Koroll, Larmer, Chico Maki, Mush March, Pit Martin, Bill Mosienko, Troy Murray, Eric Nesterenko, Jeremy Roenick and Doug Wilson. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are not eligible for the ballots because neither has announced his retirement. Both have indicated they'd like to play in the NHL next season. 'Those players mean the world to us and to our fans and to our history,' Wirtz said of Kane and Toews. 'But at the same time, they're playing. The good news is, especially with all the players, these are still young guys, they have a long time. Whether they play one more year, five more years, 10 more years, I do think they all feel a connection to the Blackhawks, to the organization. Our fans feel that. We will celebrate them in lots of forms and factors for many years to come.' In addition to the Hall of Fame, the Blackhawks also announced their centennial celebration will be themed 'Always An Original' and will feature four chapters focusing on different parts of the franchise's history. Each chapter will have signature game nights, the return of bobblehead giveaways, archival memorabilia and more. The Blackhawks are expected to have more information about those chapters in another announcement after the NHL 2025-26 season schedule is released this summer. 'We started planning this almost three years ago,' Blackhawks president of business Jaime Faulkner said. 'You only get to celebrate your 100th once. We knew we'd be celebrating with a couple other teams, so there would be opportunity to do some really neat things there. But we want to make it really special for our fans, special for our alumni, and to do that, it takes a lot of planning. We started a long time ago.' Advertisement Wirtz said: 'It's a tremendous amount of pride (to have the centennial). Anything that has survived and grown over this period of time is something to be proud of. You get very reflective and very nostalgic when you do those things. All those kind of feelings are swirling as we start to put this thing together. The family is very excited to have the formal way to kind of celebrate so many moments, eras, people and memories that not only are family shares, but the fans share.' The Blackhawks are expected to honor their six Stanley Cup teams during signature game nights. Players and fans had wondered why the Blackhawks didn't recognize their most recent Stanley Cup-winning teams on their 10-year anniversaries. 'I truly believe the wait will be worth it,' Wirtz said. 'Look, those teams mean so much to me personally and to so many fans. But when you do it, you really want to get it done right. I think the way in which we plan to celebrate those three Cups in '10, '13 and '15, I think will be really special and kick off sort of a series of things with that group of alumni that are new in the alumni world as retired players, for the most part.' The Blackhawks' centennial will last through the 2025-26 season and end early in the 2026-27 season because the franchise's first NHL game was officially played on Nov. 17, 1926. As part of their celebration, the Blackhawks also announced plans to host a fan-centered event in the fall of 2026. They haven't revealed what that will look like, but it is expected to include elements of their previous popular fan conventions.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council gives final approval to ‘1901 Project' at United Center
CHICAGO (WGN) — Alders at Wednesday's City Council meeting gave final approval on a $7 billion plan to redevelop 55 acres around the United Center with housing, retail, entertainment space and a public plaza. The action comes one day after the council's Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards signed off on the multi-phased project, and a month after it got the OK from the Chicago Plan Commission. 'Today is a historic moment for the West Side,' Chicago Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement released after the council's action. 'This project is more than just development. It's a bold and unprecedented commitment to the future of our community.' Phase one of the '1901 Project,' named after the United Center's postal address on West Madison Street, is expected to take two years to complete and will include the construction of a large music hall designed to seat 6,000 people. It also includes a hotel and a public plaza for special events. 'Our commitment is to create spaces that empower all generations, fostering a thriving community that enhances the cultural and economic fabric of the West Side,' said Chicago Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz. Construction will take place in seven phases over the course of 10-15 years, with the work financed by the two families who own the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks. There is no government funding in the plan. The United Center is about 30 years-old and was also not built with public money. It hosts about three million people a year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
