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Arthur M. Wirtz, described as a "giant" of a man at 6-4 and 300 pounds, was considered the "father of ice shows" as well as the owner of Chicago Stadium and the National Hockey League Chicago Blackhawks.
He was born Jan. 23, 1901, in Chicago. Wirtz graduated from the University of Michigan in 1922 and went to work in real estate. During the Great Depression, he formed a partnership with grain speculator James Norris and delved into pro sports.
In 1933, they purchased Olympia Stadium in Detroit along with the NHL RedWings. Two years later, the duo added what was then less-than-profitable Chicago Stadium to their holdings.
On Dec. 30, 1935, Wirtz produced his first ice show, spending $14,000 for a two-night stand at Chicago Stadium and making him among the first sports entrepreneurs to realize the enormous potential of ice skating...