Hockey is back in Chicago. As the resurgent Blackhawks have made their way through the Stanley Cup playoffs the last two years, Oak Park and River Forest residents have roared or jeered at every swipe at the puck, hanging on every slap shot and save.
Chief among those enjoying the ride is Keith Jackson, owner of Gunzo’s on Madison Street in River Forest. As one of Chicago’s local hockey shrines, Jackson said his shop has seen a huge boost from the Hawks’ success.
“It’s been increasing each year, year over year, so that’s been a good thing, but the Stanley Cup Finals takes it to the next level,” Jackson said. “I expected a much bigger decline during the economic downturn, and I think the Hawks have probably helped us locally with that.”
It’s made a huge difference, Jackson said. As much as 50 percent of the store’s sales have come from fanwear, and it’s kept the business chugging along.
But of course Jackson has more invested in the Blackhawks’ success than jerseys. The shop’s founder, Wally “Gunzo” Humeniuk, was a backup goalie on the last team that won the cup, in 1961.
Gunzo rarely dressed for games, playing behind hall of fame goaltender Glenn Hall, but he had another role: equipment manager. When Gunzo set up his first shop in 1963, which was on Harlem Avenue in Berwyn, it quickly established itself as the home for hockey in Chicago.
“He was, obviously, the exclusive supplier of everything the Blackhawks used, whether it be a shoelace or a jersey,” Jackson said. “We literally made the jerseys … If you wanted a Blackhawk jersey, we were the only place to get one.”
After that shop burned down in 1970, Gunzo quickly opened the current store on Madison, and it was a bustling hockey hub.
“There’s just so much history here: Players and conversations, camaraderie and the coming together of people passionate for the sport of hockey,” Jackson said. “Every time I walk into the bathroom or the back room it’s like, Bobby was here, or Stan was here or Tony [Esposito] was here, or Glen Hall was here.”
Gunzo’s hit hard times in the 1990s, though, after Humeniuk died in 1987, and the NHL began to get its equipment direct from manufacturers. In 1998, Jackson bought the store out of bankruptcy.
Today, the Gunzo’s connection to the Blackhawks is being reborn. Hawk player John Madden frequents the store’s newer Morton Grove location with his kids, and legendary hockey family Stan and Scotty Bowman from the Hawks’ management office often pop in, as well.
Of course, Jackson has one other little perk he’s hoping to get from his connections to the Blackhawks: A chance to touch the most treasured trophy in all of sports, Lord Stanley’s Cup. As of press time, the cup was in Philadelphia, waiting in the wings in case the Hawks won hockey’s biggest prize on Wednesday night.
The big question for Jackson, though, is which of his shops he’d like to hoist the cup at.
“We’d love to have them here, to see that Stanley Cup in our store, but that’s a toughie,” Jackson said. “It’s kind of like, would you want to want the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals in the old Chicago Stadium, or would you want it in the United Center? The United Center holds 23,000 people, it’s a lot better for hockey, it’s a better place to watch – but the old stadium has that history.”
