The four-month National Hockey League lockout was a mess for everyone involved, especially Wirtz, who had a front-row seat as a member of the executive committee of the NHL Board of Governors. Now that the players are back on the ice, this consummate connector can turn his attention to his other interests, from managing his family empire (which includes a swath of local real estate and a $1.5 billion liquor distributorship) to ebulliently displaying civic pride (his efforts to make Chicago the permanent home of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show).

Photograph: COURTESY OF CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS