Mike Illitch's dearth of public appearances continues to spark speculation about his health.
On Wednesday evening, the owner of the Tigers and Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza issued a statement:
“While Marian and I would love to be there, we won’t be at tomorrow’s jersey retirement for Nick Lidstrom. This past year, I had a medical procedure that has kept me out of the spotlight for awhile. I feel much better now, and I’m stronger every day. While we may not attend every event, we never miss a game on TV and are very involved in all our businesses every day from home and the office.
“We want to congratulate Nick, his wife Annika, and their family on this honor. He’s very deserving and we’re so proud and fortunate to have had him as a part of the Red Wings family for more than 20 years. We thank him with all our hearts.”
Tony Paul of the Detroit News notes that has made very few public appearances in recent years.
Paul writes:
The last time Ilitch, 84, made a public appearance with the Tigers was Torii Hunter’s introductory press conference, in November 2012. A month earlier, he appeared frail while accepting the Tigers’ American League championship trophy. He did supposedly attend the AL Championship Series games in Boston last October, but reporters never spotted him.
It’s believed to have been even longer since Ilitch has been seen in a Red Wings capacity. Recently, though, Ilitch surprised many when he granted a rare — and lengthy— interview, to a reporter from Sports Business Daily, at the Ilitch winter home in Boca Raton, Fla.
