Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
True, but I would argue that Toews is a good example in support of the culture argument.
Players like Toews, who can single-handedly change the culture of a team, are extremely rare. Chicago sucked for 16 or 17 years before Toews came along and threw the team on his back.
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The thing is, Toews didn't change the culture in Chicago. And there was a culture, and it needed to be changed.
What changed the culture in Chicago was the death of William Wadsworth 'Dollar Bill' Wirtz. The man had antagonized the whole city, driven away thousands of paying customers, and consequently had to cheap out on every part of the hockey operation, including player salaries. When Rocky Wirtz inherited the team, he opened his wallet and won back the fans.
Bill Wirtz died on September 26, 2007. Jonathan Toews played his first NHL game on October 10. On October 22, Rocky Wirtz announced that for the first time, the Blackhawks were going to allow their home games to be broadcast on local TV, and that he had opened negotiations with Comcast. The culture change was dramatic throughout the whole organization, from top to bottom. Toews had the enormous good luck to walk in just as the change was happening.