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The Breakaway: Wirtz Family & Blackhawks—NEW 1st Ed. & Print /Signed Brian Smith
US $32.00
ApproximatelyS$ 41.09
or Best Offer
Was US $40.00 (20% off)
Condition:
Brand New
A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages.
Sale ends in: 7d 15h
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Located in: Grayslake, Illinois, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Fri, 5 Sep and Tue, 9 Sep to 94104
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30 days return. Buyer pays for return shipping. If you use an eBay shipping label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
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eBay item number:297538494274
Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
- Type
- Hardcover
- Signed By
- Brian Smith
- Era
- 2010s
- Signed
- Yes
- Narrative Type
- Nonfiction
- Features
- Dust Jacket, 1st Edition
- Intended Audience
- Young Adults, Adults
- ISBN
- 9780810138889
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Northwestern University Press
ISBN-10
0810138883
ISBN-13
9780810138889
eBay Product ID (ePID)
28038516725
Product Key Features
Book Title
Breakaway : the inside Story of the Wirtz Family Business and the Chicago Blackhawks
Number of Pages
216 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2018
Topic
Hockey, Romance / General, Sports
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Sports & Recreation, Fiction, Biography & Autobiography
Book Series
Second to None: Chicago Stories Ser.
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1.1 in
Item Weight
21.8 Oz
Item Length
9.1 in
Item Width
6.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2018-020165
Reviews
"It doesn't matter if you are a Chicago Blackhawks fan, a hockey fan or just enjoy stories of family dynasties and incredible business turnarounds, The Breakaway is a must-read. He paints a picture of the Wirtz family members, with all their trials, tribulations, faults and fame, that sucks you in the moment you start reading. I ended the book wanting to meet every one of them... and it made me an even bigger fan of the storied Chicago Blackhawks." -Dean Plunkett, Managing Editor, The Hockey Writers "Smith writes in a breezy style, refusing to become bogged down in the tiny details that can make biographies dull and ponderous... It is a true sports success story and Bryan Smith has done an admirable job telling us how it was accomplished." - Illinois Times, "It doesn't matter if you are a Chicago Blackhawks fan, a hockey fan or just enjoy stories of family dynasties and incredible business turnarounds, The Breakaway is a must-read. He paints a picture of the Wirtz family members, with all their trials, tribulations, faults and fame, that sucks you in the moment you start reading. I ended the book wanting to meet every one of them... and it made me an even bigger fan of the storied Chicago Blackhawks." -Dean Plunkett, Managing Editor, The Hockey Writers, "The Breakaway is much more than a sports book rushed into publication following a team's championship, which we've seen repeatedly in Chicago. This one has good content on a variety of fronts, with a very readable blend of history, business, and entertainment. Author Bryan Smith gives readers a great peek into the privately-held Wirtz Corporation." -Mike Conklin, contributing writer for The Chicago Tribune and author of Goal Fever!, "A fascinating peek behind the curtain into the iconic family business that ran one of America's most beloved and storied franchises." -Ross Bernstein, author of Raising Stanley: What It Takes to Claim Hockey's Ultimate Prize, "Win or lose, the Chicago Blackhawks are woven into the fabric of the great city. They matter. So, too, this book by Bryan Smith, one of the nation's best storytellers. Deeply researched, compelling, and beautifully written, call it what it is--a hat trick." --Tom Hallman Jr., author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing "The Breakaway is much more than a sports book rushed into publication following a team's championship, which we've seen repeatedly in Chicago. This one has good content on a variety of fronts, with a very readable blend of history, business, and entertainment. Author Bryan Smith gives readers a great peek into the privately-held Wirtz Corporation." --Mike Conklin, contributing writer for The Chicago Tribune and author of Goal Fever!, "This is a terrific book, a dramatic family saga told in artful prose and filled with emotional turmoil, a few surprisingly touching moments but enough dysfunction for a couple of Eugene O'Neill plays." --Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune "Win or lose, the Chicago Blackhawks are woven into the fabric of the great city. They matter. So, too, this book by Bryan Smith, one of the nation's best storytellers. Deeply researched, compelling, and beautifully written, call it what it is--a hat trick." --Tom Hallman Jr., author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing "The Breakaway is much more than a sports book rushed into publication following a team's championship, which we've seen repeatedly in Chicago. This one has good content on a variety of fronts, with a very readable blend of history, business, and entertainment. Author Bryan Smith gives readers a great peek into the privately-held Wirtz Corporation." --Mike Conklin, contributing writer for The Chicago Tribune and author of Goal Fever!
TitleLeading
The
Table Of Content
Foreword Prologue 1. A Legacy of Boos 2. Worse Than It Seemed 3. King Arthur 4. It Happens on Ice 5. Fathers and Sons 6. The Son Also Rises 7. Wirtz Family Values 8. Bill Grabs the Puck 9. The Penalty Box 10. Freefall 11. The Passing of Dollar Bill 12. Meet the New Boss 13. The Ex-Cub Factor 14. A Change of Channel 15. Resurrection 16. A Tough Call 17. "What It Feels Like to be a Wirtz" 18. What Just Happened? 19. The Breakaway
Synopsis
Penned by award-winning Chicago journalist Bryan Smith, The Breakaway tells the remarkable story of how Rocky Wirtz, scion of a Chicago business and sports dynasty, defied his family and skeptics to take the Chicago Blackhawks from "worst to first.", "This is a terrific book, a dramatic family saga told in artful prose and filled with emotional turmoil, a few surprisingly touching moments but enough dysfunction for a couple of Eugene O'Neill plays." --Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune When Rocky Wirtz took over the Wirtz Corporation in 2007, including management of the Chicago Blackhawks, the fiercely beloved hockey team had fallen to a humiliating nadir. As chronic losers playing to a deserted stadium, they were worse than bad--they were irrelevant. ESPN named the franchise the worst in all of sports. Rocky's resurrection of the team's fortunes was--publicly, at least--a feel-good tale of shrewd acumen. Behind the scenes, however, it would trigger a father, son, and brother-against-brother drama of Shakespearean proportions. The Breakaway reveals that untold story. Arthur Wirtz founded the family's business empire during the Depression. From roots in real estate, "King Arthur" soon expanded into liquor and banking, running his operations with an iron hand and a devotion to profit that earned him the nickname Baron of the Bottom Line. His son Bill further expanded the conglomerate, taking the helm of the Blackhawks in 1966. "Dollar Bill" Wirtz demanded unflinching adherence to Arthur's traditions and was notorious for an equally fierce temperament. Yet when Rocky took the reins of the business after Bill's death, it was an organization out of step with the times and financially adrift. The Hawks weren't only failing on the ice--the parlous state of the team's finances imperiled every facet of the Wirtz empire. To save the team and the company, Rocky launched a radical turnaround campaign. Yet his modest proposal to televise the Hawks' home games provoked fierce opposition from Wirtz family insiders, who considered any deviation from Arthur and Bill's doctrines to be heresy. Rocky's break with the edicts of his grandfather and father led to a reversal for the ages--three Stanley Cup championships in six years, a feat Fortune magazine called "the greatest turnaround in sports business history." But this resurrection came at a price, a fracturing of Rocky's relationships with his brother and other siblings. In riveting prose that recounts a story spanning three generations, The Breakaway reveals an insider's view of a brilliant but difficult Chicago business and sports dynasty and the inspiring story of perseverance and courage in the face of intense family pressures.
LC Classification Number
GV848.C48S65 2018
Item description from the seller
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Seller feedback (254)
- *****- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseExtremely well packed, as described, smooth transaction and quick shipping.
- *****- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseGreat
- *****- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchaseVery happy with transaction.