Mike Spellman, the Daily Herald's Chicago Blackhawks expert and the creator of the Spellman's Scorecard column, died unexpectedly Tuesday.
The cause of death is unconfirmed but he appeared to have suffered a heart attack. Today would have been his 51st birthday.
Just last year, Spellman assumed the Blackhawks beat after the death of longtime hockey writer Tim Sassone.
"While you were dazzled by his creativity as a writer and columnist," Sports Editor Tom Quinlan said, "he was such a good and kindhearted person that you were even more impressed by his outgoing spirit and positive nature. We lost a true friend and a colleague we greatly admired," Quinlan said.
A 23-year member of the Daily Herald's sports department, Spellman was a graduate of St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, where he played baseball and earned MVP honors as a standout catcher. He also attended Roosevelt University.Spellman began his career at the Daily Herald in 1991 as a youth sports coordinator and then covered high school sports.
Later he assisted with coverage of several pro sports, including baseball, football, golf, hockey, auto racing as well as horse racing and coverage of Arlington International racetrack.
"He was probably the paper's most versatile sports writer," said Managing Editor Jim Baumann. "He could write with ease and authority on a number of different sports -- and make you laugh at all of them -- but really could blow you away with his writing on the Hawks, the Bears and, of course, golf."
"We are grief-stricken beyond words," Editor John Lampinen said. "This is such a shock and such a loss."
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