Mike Ilitch was a great owner, a man of vision
A giant has fallen.
Mike Ilitch, the greatest owner in Detroit sports history, has died at the age of 87.
He was a pure champion. A man of vision. A man with no equal.
Not in this city. Maybe not anywhere.
Ilitch was a man of passion, who followed his heart and chased his dreams and opened up his wallet and gave Detroit countless magical moments, transforming this city.
Both how it looked, as well as how it felt.
Four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings.
Two trips to the World Series with the Detroit Tigers.
He was a dual owner with a singular focus: always in pursuit of a championship; and that is how he should be remembered, holding the Stanley Cup over his head with both hands, wearing a suit and tie and a baseball cap, basking in the glow of achievement, with a smile that shined in pure joy.
And he sent Hockeytown into party mode.
Or this, this is how I will remember him: sprawling out on the ice, with an arm wrapped around Scotty Bowman for a team photo.
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Ilitch tried to buy the Red Wings from Bruce Norris in 1981 for $11 million, according to a 1982 Free Press story.
But he finally bought it a year later.
For $3 million less.
What a businessman, a man who turned a mom-and-pop pizza place into an empire built on cheese and pepperoni. Pizza pizza.
At that time, Joe Louis Arena was a cold, sterile building. But during the summer of 1982, Ilitch spent $400,000 to start to change that.
That was his style, pouring money into his passions.
“I’m starting to feel like an owner now,” Ilitch told the Free Press in 1982, “because there are a lot of decisions that have to be made, like decorating and adding some ‘warmth’ to the arena. I make every move with the fans in mind first, then I look at the business aspect. If it doesn’t make sense from a business standpoint, I’ll back off. Sure. But it seems to work. It’s working.”
That was the beginning.
That was how he started to the culture of the Red Wings.
That is how he started to infuse a championship mindset.
“So people will want to be a part of the team and the family,” Ilitch told the Free Press in 1982. “It’s my job as leader of the franchise to produce the proper environment. This is my way of doing things.
“I talked it over with my wife and I said, “Hey Marian, I can’t lay back. I know that we should do this or we shouldn’t do that, but I said that’s me. I’ve got to go out and aggressive do things the way I do them…. I want to do things that are going to stimulate the fans along with the team members and the staff.”
He basically followed that rule in everything he did.
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After the Tigers lost designated hitter Victor Martinez for the 2012 season with a knee injury, Ilitch cracked open his wallet and brought in Prince Fielder.
It was stunning.
Typical Ilitch.
All in the hopes of winning a title.
Of course, it didn’t work. Not for the Tigers.
For all his money, that title remained elusive, a prize that always seemed out of reach.
For years, the Tigers spent beyond their means, chasing a title, trading young players and bringing in expensive ones, trying to win one for Mr. I.
But it never came. And he could never accept that.
After letting Dave Dombrowski go and handing control of the Tigers over to Al Avila, Ilitch was matter of fact.
“I didn’t win with him,” Ilitch told reporters. “We were close. He’s a great guy.”
Ilitch shrugged. “But you know, there are times where you gotta change,” Ilitch said.
Avila, the Tigers executive vice president and general manager, released a statement Friday night: “I’ve never seen a man more dedicated to this community and to baseball than Mr. I. What he has done for this franchise, and for Detroit, is immeasurable. He was always there to give us whatever we needed because he wanted greatness and happiness for all of us – especially the fans. Mr. I was truly one of the great ones. He was a friend and an inspiration and he will be deeply missed.”
Indeed.
Ilitch was somebody who cared deeply about this city.
Somebody who transformed it, one building at a time, renovating the Fox and moving the Tigers to Comerica Park, and next season, the Wings will move to the new Little Ceasars Arena.
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It’s sad that Ilitch won’t be there for the grand opening.
That building is his crowning achievement, the final piece to a puzzle that he started to create years ago, building an entertainment district that has changed the face of Detroit.
And now, it feels as if everything is changing.
The Wings no longer have a roster filled with hockey gods and the Tigers are trying to cut costs.
A giant has fallen and we are left with questions: Who will take over the teams? How will this affect the Tigers and Red Wings? Will the Tigers continue to cut costs?
Clearly, that has already started.
The Tigers have already started to use a new business model, trying to trim costs.
And you get the feeling that nothing will ever be the same.
Not in Hockeytown. Not without Mr. Ilitch.
One of the greatest men, a true icon, that this city has ever seen.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.