Hurricanes GM Don Waddell resigns after 10 seasons with team
WILL STILL TAKE PLACE. WE
REACHED OUT TO UNC ABOUT THIS.
WE HAVE NOT YET HEARD BACK.
THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE
CAROLINA HURRICANES IS STEPPING
DOWN. THE TEAM POSTED THIS.
>> THIS AFTERNOON. THANK YOU,
DON. THANKING DONALD L FOR
ABOUT 10 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH
THE TEAM THERE WRAL'S PAT
WELTER JOINING US LIVE FROM
PNC ARENA. A LOT OF FOLKS LIKE
ME FOUND THIS IS A BIG SURPRISE
TODAY, PAT, WAS THERE ANYBODY
THAT SAW THIS COMING?
>> WELL, THEN I MEAN, WE'RE
ALSO WORRIED ABOUT ROD
BRIND'AMOUR'S CONTRACT LAST
WEEK. IT TURNS OUT WE'RE
FOCUSED ON THE WRONG
NEGOTIATION HERE. AND AS MUCH
AS ROD IS THE FACE AND THE TONE
SETTER OF THE ORGANIZATION,
DONALD L HE'S REALLY BEEN THE
BACKBONE BEHIND THE SCENES.
YEAH. LET'S GO BACK TO MONDAY,
RIGHT? THAT'S THE LAST TIME.
BUT BELL SPOKE TO THE MEDIA.
THAT'S WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THAT
ROBERT MORSS CONTRACT WAS GOING
TO BE EXTENDED. AND YOU REALLY
HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS COMING
UNTIL LAST NIGHT WHEN REPORTS
CAME OUT THAT WELL, THAT WAS
GETTING SOME INTEREST FROM
OTHER TEAMS, EVEN INTERVIEWED
WITH THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS.
AND THIS THING ESCALATED
QUICKLY. IT OFFICIALLY STEPS
DOWN AROUND NOON TODAY AND WHAT
ELENA STATEMENT SAID, I HAVE
LOVED MY EXPERIENCES IN THE
TRIANGLE OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS
AND TOGETHER WITH THE STRONG
TEAM ON AND OFF THE ICE BECOME
PLUS MANY GREAT VICTORIES.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT
I'VE RECEIVED FROM SO MANY
WHILE CANIACS THE ORGANIZATION
IS IN STRONG, CAPABLE HANDS
FOR THE FUTURE. SO THE BIGGEST
QUESTION THAT REMAINS IS WHY
WOULD HE STEP DOWN NOW AFTER
6 STRAIGHT PLAYOFF APPEARANCES?
WELL, OWNER TOM DUNDON
NOTORIOUS LEE, A TOUGH
NEGOTIATOR. WE SAW WHAT JUST
HAPPENED WITH ROD BRIND'AMOUR
AND I SPOKE WITH CANES INSIDER
ADAM GOLD. HE BELIEVES THE
REASON IS MOSTLY FINANCIAL.
>> THE DON'T.
VALUE ECONOMICALLY POSITION.
THE WAY IT'S VALUED AROUND THE
LEAGUE. AND IF DONE WIDEOUT
PROBABLY NOT GOING TO SPEND,
YOU KNOW THAT MORE THAN ANOTHER
5 OR SO YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL
HOCKEY. IF HE WANTS TO MAXIMIZE
THAT IN TERMS OF SALARY, THEN
HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE ON
HURRICANE TIME DONE. AND HE'S
ALWAYS SAID I'M NOT GOING TO
STAND IN THE WAY OF PEOPLE.
>> WHO CAN BETTER THEIR
SITUATION SOMEWHERE ELSE.
>> AND A TOUGH TIME TO GO
LOOKING FOR A NEW GM, RIGHT?
I MEAN, THIS IS A TEAM IN THE
LOCKER ROOM FULL OF RESTRICTED
AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS.
THE GOOD NEWS INTERIM GM, ERIC
TULSI HAS BEEN THE TEAM'S
ASSISTANT GM WITH THE
ORGANIZATION FOR A LONG TIME,
REALLY RESPECTED NAME IN THE
LEAGUE. I TALKED TO ADAM GOLD
AS WELL ABOUT THAT. HE BELIEVES
THAT HOSTS HE IS THE
FRONTRUNNER TO BE NAMED
FULL-TIME GM AS WELL. THEN
WE'LL SEE. IT WILL BE ISSUE.
SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT. MORE
OTHER NAMES ARE IN THE HAT