Donald Douglas Waddell (born August 19, 1958) is an American professional ice hockey executive and former player who is currently the president of hockey operations and general manager for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He previously held similar leadership roles with the Carolina Hurricanes and Atlanta Thrashers.
| Don Waddell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Waddell in 2018. | |||
| Born |
August 19, 1958 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Augsburger EV Los Angeles Kings | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL draft |
111th overall, 1978 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 1980–1988 | ||
Playing career
editWaddell was selected 111th overall, in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He was selected as the 3rd choice of the Los Angeles Kings on June 15, 1978. He played in the NHL for only one game with the Kings during the 1980–81 season, against the New York Rangers on January 28, 1981.
His playing career consisted mostly of minor and college hockey. He played 4 seasons at Northern Michigan University. He was one of the final cuts for the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team after he broke his leg in a pre-tournament game. He won the International Hockey League's Governor's Trophy in 1982 for best defenseman during the regular season.
Coaching career
editAfter his tenure as a player, he moved to coaching for the 1987–88 season with the IHL Flint Spirits as a player-coach. For the next two seasons, he moved behind the bench permanently. Waddell moved on to the IHL San Diego Gulls for the 1991–92 season. Waddell took over as interim coach of the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2002–03 season with a record of 4–5–1–0 as coach before Bob Hartley was named to the permanent job.
After a disappointing start (0–6–0) to the 2007–08 Atlanta Thrashers season, Waddell was named interim head coach of the team following the dismissal of Bob Hartley.[1] For several months, he was able to lead the team on a turn around, but the Thrashers ultimately played poorly down the stretch and missed the playoffs.
Coaching record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| ATL | 2002–03 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | (74) | 3rd in Southeast | Missed playoffs |
| ATL | 2007–08 | 76 | 34 | 34 | — | 8 | (76) | 4th in Southeast | Missed playoffs |
| Total | 86 | 38 | 39 | 1 | 8 | ||||
Management career
editEarly career
editWaddell's first front office experience came with the International Hockey League's Flint Spirits during the 1988–89 season when he served in the dual role of head coach and general manager. He moved into Flint's front office exclusively for the 1989–90 season before joining the IHL's San Diego Gulls. He was vice president and general manager for the Gulls from 1990 to 1995 before accepting the same role with the IHL's Orlando Solar Bears. While in Orlando, Waddell was also vice president of RDV Sports and served on the organization's executive committee which oversaw the NBA's Orlando Magic, the Solar Bears and RDV Sports' retail and aviation interests.
Detroit Red Wings
editAfter leaving Orlando, Waddell served as assistant general manager of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1997–98 season, capturing the Stanley Cup.
Atlanta Thrashers
editOn June 23, 1998, just one week after the Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, Waddell was named the first general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers. He served as general manager of the Thrashers until the conclusion of the 2009–10 season when he was promoted to team president, and Rick Dudley succeeded him as general manager.[2] During his tenure as general manager of the Thrashers, the team recorded a 308–401–45–66 record and made their lone playoff appearance after winning the NHL's Southeast Division in 2006–07. Waddell also served as executive vice president and co-chair of the executive committee for the Thrashers' parent company, Atlanta Spirit.
Following True North's purchase of the Thrashers, Waddell announced he would not be moving with the team from Atlanta to Winnipeg.
Pittsburgh Penguins
editOn January 21, 2012, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced their hiring of Waddell as a professional scout.[3]
Carolina Hurricanes
editWaddell left the Penguins organization on July 1, 2014, to become the president of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.[4] On May 8, 2018, Waddell was named president and general manager of the Hurricanes.[5] On May 24, 2024, Waddell resigned as president and GM of the Hurricanes, being replaced by assistant GM Eric Tulsky on an interim basis.[6]
Columbus Blue Jackets
editOn May 28, 2024, Waddell was named president of hockey operations, general manager and alternate governor of the Columbus Blue Jackets.[7]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1975–76 | Detroit Little Caesars | GLJHL | 50 | 23 | 29 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Northern Michigan University | CCHA | 28 | 11 | 34 | 45 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Northern Michigan University | CCHA | 32 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Northern Michigan University | CCHA | 23 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Northern Michigan University | CCHA | 37 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Houston Apollos | CHL | 31 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Saginaw Gears | IHL | 40 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 33 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1981–82 | Saginaw Gears | IHL | 77 | 26 | 69 | 95 | 61 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Saginaw Gears | IHL | 18 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Augsburger EV | 1.GBun | 8 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Flint Generals | IHL | 35 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 42 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | Toledo Goaldiggers | IHL | 63 | 19 | 50 | 69 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | Flint Spirits | IHL | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1987–88 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Flint Spirits | IHL | 71 | 17 | 58 | 75 | 61 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 6 | ||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| IHL totals | 356 | 83 | 261 | 344 | 302 | 54 | 9 | 40 | 49 | 16 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | United States | WJC | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-CCHA First Team | 1977–78 1979–80 |
[8] |
| IHL Governor's Trophy | 1981-82 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bob McKenzie (October 17, 2007). "Thrashers fire head coach Hartley". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
- ^ "Thrashers fire coaching staff | Atlanta Thrashers". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
- ^ "Penguins Name Don Waddell Professional Scout".
- ^ Dadoun, Ryan (July 2, 2014). "Hurricanes hire Don Waddell as new team president". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Terrell (May 8, 2018). "Hurricanes Name Rod Brind'Amour as Head Coach". NHL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "Waddell resigns as Hurricanes general manager, replaced by Tulsky". NHL.com. May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ "Blue Jackets name Don Waddell president of hockey operations, general manager and alternate governor". Columbus Blue Jackets. May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database