Donald Douglas Waddell (born August 19, 1958) is

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

executive and former player. He is the president and general manager of the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

Playing career

Waddell 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 The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

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

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Coaching career

After 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 Robert "Bob" Hartley (born September 7, 1960) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. He most recently served as the head coach of Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has additionally coached the Latvia men's national ...

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 A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

of the team following the dismissal of Bob Hartley. 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

Management career

Early career

Waddell'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 The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of th ...

. 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 Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, the Solar Bears and RDV Sports' retail and aviation interests.

Detroit Red Wings

After leaving Orlando, Waddell served as assistant general manager of the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

in the 1997–98 season, capturing the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

Atlanta Thrashers

On June 23, 1998, just one week after the Red Wings swept the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, Waddell was named the first general manager of the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

. 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. 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 Atlanta Hawks, LLC (formerly known as Atlanta Spirit LLC) was an Atlanta, Georgia-based parent company formerly the holder of the franchise of the Atlanta Hawks, a professional basketball team in the NBA, and the Atlanta Thrashers, a former profe ...

. Following True North's purchase of the Thrashers, Waddell announced he would not be moving with the team from Atlanta to Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On January 21, 2012, the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

announced their hiring of Waddell as a professional scout.

Carolina Hurricanes

Waddell was named President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL's

, on July 1, 2014. On May 8, 2018, Waddell was named president and general manager of the Hurricanes. On February 24, 2020, Waddell was named the TSN TradeCentre GM of the Day, for his transactions at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. Waddell has made a name for himself in his time as the Hurricanes' GM for consistently fleecing other teams in trades. The first major fleece he was a part of was trading struggling forward Viktor Rask in a 1-for-1 trade for

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

winger

Nino Niederreiter Nino Niederreiter (born 8 September 1992) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, making him th ...

. Along with the trade for Niederreiter, Waddell also was involved in another major fleece when he sent

Eetu Luostarinen Eetu Luostarinen (born 2 September 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center who plays with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 42nd overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 20 ...

Erik Haula Erik Haula (born 23 March 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panther ...

Chase Priskie Chase Evans Priskie (born March 19, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL), as a prospect for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League ( ...

, and

Lucas Wallmark Lucas Wallmark (born 5 September 1995) is a Swedish professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). He was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round, 97th overall, at the 2014 NHL ...

to the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home g ...

in exchange for center

Vincent Trocheck Vincent Trocheck (born July 11, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey center for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draf ...

. Waddell, in the 2022 offseason, sent Eetu Mäkiniemi and Steven Lorentz to the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

for Brent Burns and Lane Pederson. Waddell's most recent fleece was in the days after free agency opened in 2022, as he acquired

Max Pacioretty Maximillian Kolenda Pacioretty (born November 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pacioretty was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2007 NH ...

and Dylan Coghlan for future considerations.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddell, Don 1958 births Living people American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen American sports businesspeople Atlanta Thrashers coaches Atlanta Thrashers general managers Carolina Hurricanes executives Detroit Red Wings general managers Flint Generals (IHL) players Flint Spirits players Houston Apollos players Ice hockey people from Michigan Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players National Hockey League executives National Hockey League general managers New Haven Nighthawks players Northern Michigan University alumni Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey players Pittsburgh Penguins scouts Saginaw Gears players Sportspeople from Detroit Stanley Cup champions Toledo Goaldiggers players Ice hockey coaches from Michigan Ice hockey players from Detroit