Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz dies at age 70

By JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Rocky Wirtz, who won three Stanley Cup titles as owner of the Chicago Blackhawks and presided over the team during one of the NHL’s biggest scandals, has died. He was 70. The Blackhawks called Wirtz’s death a “sudden passing.” No further details were provided. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release that the league was “deeply saddened” by Wirtz’s death. Wirtz took over the team in 2007 and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But his tenure as owner was tarnished when an outside law firm found that the organization badly mishandled allegations by a player who said he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach.