Chicago Blackhawks’s longtime owner William Wirtz passed away at 77 in an Evanston, Ill., hospital after a brief battle with cancer, the club web site wrote.

Wirtz was Blackhawks’s president for the last 41 years after he took the helm in 1966. He also served as chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors for 18 years including the period when the NHL and the World Hockey Association fused.

"Bill Wirtz was a giant presence in a giant city, his beloved Chicago and an even greater presence in the National Hockey League," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
"His 41 years as President of the Blackhawks and 18 years as Chairman of the Board leave an incomparable legacy of contributions to the game and to the League. His strength, intelligence, character and passion have been ingrained indelibly in the Blackhawks, in the League and in me. Bill was a true icon and a great competitor."

Wirtz was also a member of the Winter Olympic Committee in 1980, when the US won the ice hockey world cup, and in the 1984 committee.

He collaborated with Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf to build the United Center, which replaced Blackhawks longtime Chicago Stadium, a structure the Wirtz family had owned since 1936.

Unfortunately for them and their fans, the change didn’t proved to be a successful one as the Blackhawks made it to the playoffs on only four occasions since they moved to the new stadium. The team hasn’t reached the Stanley Cup final in 15 years and although they are one of the six original NHL teams, the average attendance at their matches is about 12,700 fans per game in a stadium that can host as much as 20,500.

Although he was known as a tough negotiator, which earned him the nickname "Dollar Bill," Wirtz gave back a lot to society. He founded the Chicago Blackhawk Charities, which has donated large sums of money to charitable causes in the Chicago area such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois.

However, his manner of managing the club made a lot of people discontented. He was often criticized, especially over the last couple of years, for letting several good players to leave over the years, and for his refusal to televise most of Blackhawks’ home games.

William Wirtz was also the CEO and controlling shareholder of the family-owned Wirtz Corp. Wirtz Corp.

Wirtz Corp is mostly known as owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, Wirtz Realty, a large real estate owner in Chicago and Judge & Dolph Ltd., a major liquor distributor. It also has interests in banking and insurance, co-owns the United Center with Jerry Reinsdorf.
The company’s earning in 2003 was estimated at about US$1.3 billion by Crain's Chicago Business. But overall, Wirtz holdings, which also encompass Alberto-Culver and Firstar Bank, are estimated at about US$3 to 4 billion.

Wirtz is survived by his wife, Alice, five children (Rocky, Gail, Karey, Peter and Alyson) and seven grandchildren.