JOHN McDONOUGH
PRESIDENT

John McDonough was named President of the Chicago Blackhawks on November 20, 2007. Under McDonough’s guidance, the Blackhawks moved quickly to revitalize the team’s profile and re-energize its fan base. The club welcomed back Blackhawk legends and Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito as official team ambassadors, and announced the inaugural Blackhawks Convention – the first of its kind in the National Hockey League. In a landmark partnership with Comcast SportsNet and WGN Television, the Blackhawks announced that all 82 regular season games would be televised for the first time in franchise history. The Blackhawks also announced an exciting new radio partnership that united two Chicago institutions as “The Voice of Chicago,” WGN News/Talk 720, became the voice of the Blackhawks.

The aggressive initiatives resonated with Blackhawk fans as the team concluded the 2007-08 season with 12 sellout crowds and 13 crowds in excess of 20,000 fans. Overall, attendance for the 2007-08 season increased 47% from the previous year with merchandise revenue up a staggering 175%.

Prior to joining the Blackhawks, McDonough served as President of the Chicago Cubs. During his tenure, the Cubs won the 2007 National League Central Division while setting an all-time franchise attendance record. As the Cubs chief, and in his previous role as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Broadcasting, he was widely viewed as a sports marketing and management innovator who played a major role in growing the Cubs' fan base and attracting sponsorships for one of the most successful pro sports franchises in America.

During his 24 years with the Cubs organization, the club consistently reached record attendance and revenue figures. In addition, McDonough was the architect of the celebrity “guest conductor” 7th inning stretch concept at Wrigley Field and created the annual Cubs Convention, which is now viewed as a prototype for professional team and league fan festivals.

Before starting his career with the Cubs, McDonough served as General Sales Manager and Vice President of Sales and Marketing with the Chicago Sting in the North American Soccer League.

With McDonough’s many achievements have also come several honors and awards, including Major League Baseball’s Marketing Excellence Award; the Chicago Baseball Veterans Committee Man of the Year; Chicago Baseball Executive of the Year; and America’s Top Ten Marketing Executives by Promo Magazine.

He has also been recognized with the St. Mary’s University Alumni Appreciation Award; the Bill Veeck Lifetime Achievement Award; Notre Dame High School’s Hall of Fame; and the 2008 Executive of the Year Award by the Chicago chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

McDonough sits on the Board of Governance at Notre Dame High School, the Advisory board of directors for the Illinois chapter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, the Faculty Advisory Board at Northwestern University for Master of Arts in Sports Administration, and the National Hockey League Club Business Advisory Board.

A Chicago native, McDonough is a graduate of Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois and St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota. He currently resides in the Northwest suburbs with his wife, Karen. They have three children, Colleen, Ryan and Michael.