NEWSLETTER
Just before Game 2 of the Western Conference Final began, Elliotte Friedman published his weekly “32 Thoughts” column for SportsNet. In it, he shared an interesting, albeit disappointing, piece of Blackhawks information.
In short, the Blackhawks reportedly lost their cap specialist and hockey strategist, Dominik Zrim, because of THAT now infamous Town Hall event. You remember the one.
“It was pointed out to me that Dominik Zrim’s name is no longer on the Chicago Blackhawks website. Zrim, the co-founder of CapFriendly (essential to any reporter covering the sport), joined the organization in May 2021 as manager of hockey strategy. Basically, he assisted with the cap, contracts and in formulating strategy. It’s believed he resigned shortly after the Feb. 2 town hall. Reached this week, Zrim wouldn’t say anything negative about the Blackhawks: “I left amicably and enjoyed being there.” He’s back with the website and consulting for a few teams.”
You may have noticed us referencing CapFriendly a lot lately as we prepare for the offseason. It’s an incredible resource for media and fans alike. The site confirmed on its Twitter account in September of last year that Zrim had been hired by the Blackhawks. Scott Powers at The Athletic reported that Zrim had been hired as the Blackhawks’ manager of hockey strategy at that time; Friedman’s report on Thursday indicates the hiring took place in May.
Ben Pope of the Sun-Times tweeted later that the separation came in the wake of the Blackhawks’ town hall meeting in February.
Friedman reports that Dominik Zrim, the CapFriendly co-founder hired as the Blackhawks' manager of hockey strategy last summer, resigned from the Hawks shortly after Rocky Wirtz's outburst at the February town hall. Yet another sad fallout from that shameful night. https://t.co/dhLd52HIa4
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) June 2, 2022
The timing of Zrim leaving the organization is interesting given the context provided by Pope above. How his role would have co-existed with new associate general manager Jeff Greenberg is a “what if” we’ll have to save for another day.
Zrim is not the first name we’ve heard leaving the organization this summer and probably won’t be the last, but it’s good to see that he’s back doing work for CapFriendly.
