Chicago Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz weighs in on Donald Trump's jab at Windy City's crime stats

Chicago Blackhawks Chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz fired back at Donald Trump for being critical of Chicago's crime stats throughout his campaign.

While Trump has been critical of Chicago's crime statistics, the Blackhawks CEO said crime is something he is working on and believes Chicago is becoming a safer place.

"We've been here for almost 100 years. Crime has always been something we’ve had to contend with and work with, but we also know that when we invest in neighborhoods and economic development, it helps create opportunities that address the root cause of some crime issues," Wirtz said.

"Chicago has a history of rolling up our sleeves and being part of the solution, partnering with the public sector to create those opportunities that help stem some of the violence," Wirtz added.

Wirtz was named CEO of the Blackhawks in December 2020 as he took over from his father, Rocky, who passed away in July 2023.

Blackhawks GM happy with offseason moves

Chicago is in the midst of a rebuild but does have a franchise player in Connor Bedard whom the team selected with the first pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

General manager Kyle Davidson signed Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Pat Maroon, Joey Anderson, Alec Martinez, TJ Brodie, Craig Smith, and Laurent Brossoit in free agency to bolster the roster.

"I’m really, really excited about where our group’s at, what we were able to do on July 1,” Davidson said, via NHL.com. "We added a lot of talent, a lot of experience and I think we elevated our group. So I’m really excited with how things turned out and how things are looking heading into training camp in September.”

The Blackhawks went 23-53-6 last season and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

“We want to be better,” Davidson said. “We want to be able to go into games and impose ourselves on a game more than we have in the past, rather than trying to stem the tide or having teams take it to us."

The Blackhawks are not expected to make the playoffs in the 2024-25 NHL season, as Chicago has odds of +900 to make the playoffs which implies a 10% chance. But, the team is likely nearing the end of its rebuild.

Chicago will open its 2024-25 NHL season on the road on Oct. 8 against Utah.