In era of quick fixes, and a lack of loyalty, it’s worth remembering the career of Bob Pulford, who just passed away. Because the Hawks won three Stanley Cups post-Pulford, I haven’t heard his name mentioned in years. Heck, I thought he had already died. My bad.

I’m including the national coverage of his passing so as to eliminate any whitewashing of his career. When he served in many of his front office roles with the Hawks, the only local coverage came from one radio host (and hockey fan) who more often than not, laughed at his pronounced Canadian accent. At no time did the local media ever reference his playing career and championship pedigree.

In Chicago, the narrowly focused sportswriters covering hockey only mention the Hawks, Red Wings or Canadians and as a result guys like Pulford who serve in multiple posts over a career are underappreciated. I know he wasn’t a unicorn, but because I’m a baseball guy, I’m more attuned to the lifers in baseball.

As is the case with most teams, the GM often receives a lot of criticism and because he presided over a Stanley Cup drought, he didn’t get a lot of positive press.

Four-time Stanley Cup winner Bob Pulford dead at 89 – Yahoo Sports