Big Thrashers news: Waddell moved up, Dudley in, coaches out
The Thrashers named Don Waddell president, promoted Rick Dudley to general manager and dismissed its coaching staff Wednesday, the AJC first reported. They are three significant moves aimed at changing the direction of a franchise that has made the playoffs just once in its 10-season history.
The moves came four days after the end of the Thrashers season and the day the Stanley Cup playoffs were to begin.
Waddell has served as general manager of the Thrashers since its inception, being named to the position in June 1998. Last offseason he was also named executive vice president of the Atlanta Spirit, the parent company of the Thrashers, Hawks and Philips Arena.
Waddell said Sunday, the day after the season ended, he expected to return to the organization next season but would not be specific when asked in what role.
Dudley joined the Thrashers in June of last year and spent his first season with the team as associate general manager. Dudley, with over 40 years of experience in professional hockey as a player, coach and executive, spent the previous five seasons with the Blackhawks. He spent the last three years at assistant general manager.
Head coach John Anderson did not have his contract renewed after two seasons in Atlanta. The Thrashers were 70-75-19 in his two seasons. Assistant coaches Randy Cunneyworth, Todd Nelson and Steve Weeks also did not have their contracts renewed.
“Absolute disappointment,” Anderson told the AJC Wednesday morning. “From last year, I don’t like to use the word rebuilding mode, but that’s what we were in. Two years later, I think we left the house in pretty good order. We almost made the playoffs. I wish we had. It might have been the difference in my job and some other guys’ jobs.
“I’d really like to thank the fans for all their support,” Anderson said. “They’ve been great. I’d also like to that all the people I’ve worked with. And especially the players. They really gave me everything they had.”
The Thrashers finished 35-34-13 (83 points) this season, five points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“One thing I understand about professional sports, is that ultimately if the team doesn’t do well the coach accepts all the responsibility,” Anderson told the AJC on Monday after completing player exit interviews. “And I do rightfully so, no problem. When the team wins, the coach gives the players [the credit]. That’s how it is. … I understand the reality of it. We didn’t make the playoffs. I accept responsibility for that. Whatever happens, happens.”
Perhaps those five points could have been the difference.
“Unfortunately, when a team does not perform as expected, there are going to be changes, usually to the coaching staff,” goaltender Johan Hedberg said. “As a player you feel bad because you had a part in doing it to them. The team has to do what it feels is right. It is performance based. Five more points and we would have made the playoffs and maybe this doesn’t happen.”
Other reaction:
Boris Valabik – “For me, personally, I’ve known Johnny and Nelly a long time. They coached me in [AHL] Chicago. I think they did a great job. They helped me out so much and did a good job. I have nothing bad to say about them. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me. You never know, maybe I’ll see them again. … It’s a new challenge. I’ve never had another coach. It’s going to be a big difference but I’m excited about the new challenge.
Eric Boulton – “Obviously, it’s no fun when you don’t make the playoffs. I have a lot of respect for all four [coaches]. Unfortunately when you don’t make the playoffs, changes are going to be made. Don is very respected and has been here a long time. Everyone has a lot of respect for Rick Dudley. He’s a good hockey mind. He’s going to be great for the city, great for the organization.”
Slava Kozlov: “Unfortunately, it’s too late. If you don’t make the playoffs I can understand ownership’s frustration and they have to do something. I expected after this season there was going to be changes.”
Colby Armstrong: “As far as the coaches, they are really good people, really great guys. It’s definitely a shakeup. Rick Dudley is a really smart hockey guy. He knows what he is doing. It’s a new era coming up for the Thrashers. They are moving in a positive direction.
Ron Hainsey: “I think we are going to see a change in direction. When a team doesn’t get into the playoffs and it’s not seen as a successful season, things change. Those were four quality people that were let go. That’s the toughest part. We were close this year [to making the playoffs], but the next question is what are you going to do when you get in. You have to do something. We are building going forward. Our identity changed some last season and it will change some more. We have some good young players. If they get developed like everyone hopes, we will have a strong group. That’s the challenge, to build a team that makes the playoffs and ultimately competes for the Stanley Cup.”
Bruce Bodreau, Capitals coach: “It’s a sad day for me and John. He’s a very close friend. He phoned me at 9 a.m. this morning. It’s a tough business sometimes because I think he did a great job with what he had to work with all year. He kept them competitive. It’s unfortunate but John is a very good coach and he’ll land on his feet very soon.”
Pavel Kubina: “I know Rick Dudley well. He used to be my GM in Tampa (where Kubina won a Stanley Cup). He’s the best GM out there. He built our team in Tampa. This doesn’t change anything about me wanting to come back.”
Jim Slater: “Players have to ultimately to out there and perform. You see the repercussions of that. Management felt very strongly that we had a good team.”
Letter from ownership to season ticket holders: “As we end the 2009-10 season, we begin the next steps towards achieving our ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup championship. This year ushered in highlights and exhilarating wins, and also delivered a disappointing conclusion when we didn’t achieve a playoff berth. As a result, we have elected to restructure our hockey operations staff to ensure we are maximizing our assets. Today we are promoting Don Waddell to President of the Thrashers and Rick Dudley to the team’s General Manager.
In addition, we, along with Rick and Don, have decided not to retain Head Coach John Anderson and Assistant Coaches Randy Cunneyworth, Todd Nelson and Steve Weeks. We thank each of them for their dedication and contributions to the organization during their tenures.
Rick has been with us for a year, and after his initial tenure of contributing to the hockey operations staff, and assessing the team and organization, we look forward to his guidance over hockey-related activities.
Rick has been pivotal in building highly successful hockey teams, including most recently the Chicago Blackhawks. He has nearly 40 years of experience and is very well-respected in the hockey community for his expertise in evaluating and developing talent. He will immediately begin the search for a new head coach and will oversee all preparations for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. We are extremely confident that he will do an outstanding job of taking us to the next level.
As all of you know, Don has been an important part of this organization since its inception, and in shifting his focus to concentrate primarily on all business aspects of the organization, he will continue to work closely with Rick and play a vital role for our Thrashers franchise. Although we all are disappointed with not participating in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we are excited about our future and will continue to build on the team’s strong core of young players with the goal of creating a competitive and successful squad that will make our fans proud.
We’d like to thank you for your loyal support as a Season Ticket Holder as we enter a new era of Thrashers hockey.”
Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon
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235 comments Add your comment
Bluestreak
April 14th, 2010
10:51 am
The salvation for Hockey in Atlanta has come!! Both on the ice and otherwise.
Mike
April 14th, 2010
10:53 am
Moving Waddell up where he won’t be primary decision maker on personnel is a good thing. Similar moves by Falcons (promoting McKay and bringing in Dimitroff) worked well,so we can only hope it works for the Thrashers too.
A part of me is glad to see JA go because I was tired of the team coming out flat. I know that the players actually play the game, but you have to think the coach should be able to do something to get their butts moving.
A part of me would have liked to see the assistants go and keep JA. Bring in a better goalie coach, better defensive coach and a coach that has NHL head coach experience. That way if they start off bad, you can fire JA and have a NHL caliber replacement ready to go. He got a raw deal with the Kovy situation, yet they almost made the playoffs.
Definitely going to be an interesting offseason.
drajax
April 14th, 2010
10:54 am
Admittedly ownership read the tea leaves and took the easiest way, fire the coach. In this case the way selected was also the right way. No one likes to see a working man get fired, but the team was simply too inconsistent under his leadership. Sure if the team won or got five more points we’d be in the playoffs and we had a number of close games. But how about those games when the team didn’t even show up? Why is that? The answer can be a game by game explanation but the bottom line is that the team’s coach is responsible. I wish the best of luck to Coach Anderson.
Wolfgang PUCK
April 14th, 2010
10:55 am
Be patient, everyone – some teams never have a winning season and they still have fans that go to their games. It would be a shame to lose the team to Canada. They would probably re-name them the “Giant Inflatable Beavers” and have a mascot that slapped its tail on the ground and farted when they scored.
Andrew
April 14th, 2010
10:55 am
Until someone figures out a way to fire the ownership group, this will be an endless cycle.
GBiscuit
April 14th, 2010
10:57 am
Waddell must be part cat with all the lives he is being given. He is the common demoninator in this failure equation known as the Thrashers.
The man
April 14th, 2010
10:58 am
Hey the Lightning did that yesterday. Get your own Ideas
The man
April 14th, 2010
10:58 am
Enter your comments here
tom
April 14th, 2010
11:00 am
Good move. However, Waddell is still lurking in the wings. Will the new GM be allowed to make decisions on his own. I doubt it.
Teeroy II
April 14th, 2010
11:04 am
Hockey? Who are the chicks in the picture with the beer sitting behind the bench!
reebok
April 14th, 2010
11:04 am
Whining that he shouldn’t have been fired because “we almost made the playoffs…” This statement alone makes me glad this loser coaching staff is gone.
Boca Baby
April 14th, 2010
11:05 am
Does this move quash all the talk of the Thrashers leaving Atlanta? Let’s also have a commitment to building a championship hockey team in this city in our lifetime.
reebok
April 14th, 2010
11:05 am
“I think we left the house in pretty good order.” Oh for crying out loud..DUDE, did you even WATCH yuour team play???
reebok
April 14th, 2010
11:06 am
“Your” team. My bad.
ian jones
April 14th, 2010
11:06 am
I say hire the two hot chicks sitting behind the glass!
steve
April 14th, 2010
11:12 am
Anderson gets fired and Waddell gets a promotion. Makes no sense. I don’t think Anderson was the common thread in the last 10 years. and they wonder why we didn’t renew our season tickets.
Cliff Fletcher
April 14th, 2010
11:12 am
You guys need to stop thinking about Waddell. He’s out of the picture now, it’s Dudley’s team.
You can’t cry for change, then cry more when the change is exactly to your liking. Let Dudley do what he’s done before.
Big G
April 14th, 2010
11:12 am
When are we going to get new owners. That’s the problem. We need owners who are COMMITTED to bring championship hockey to Atlanta. Current ownership enjoys the glamour of owning a professional sports team and are not committed to investing in players that will help us win. Fire the owners I say!
Hollywould
April 14th, 2010
11:12 am
I hope this is like the Falcon’s moves. Let Waddell do anything he wants (like Mckay) and stay away from the personell decisions(Dimitroff) I feel for Anderson as he was given a raw deal with all the new players
and in spite of what people here say almost made the playoffs. Can’t fire the players. Need a new coach quick(especially before the draft and free agency.
Boca Baby
April 14th, 2010
11:14 am
It may be safe to say this now but getting rid of Kovalchuk (the supposed franchise player) may not have been such a bad thing after all. For all his breakaway and scoring prowess he was predictable and other teams took advantage of this. He had no game going to his left. The only thing he could do was stop and pivot and attempt a forehand shot. When you lose the whole left side of the ice your limit what you can do and become easier to defense. I may be wrong but it sure looked this way to me. And if I am wrong please direct me to video showing him scoring on a backhander.
Badger
April 14th, 2010
11:15 am
Wolfgang – that is the problem . . . not enough Canadians wearing the jersey. The team is built around players that won’t bleed a drop for any team they are on.
There isn’t a coach in the history of the game that would have improved his career winning percentage with this core group of under achievers. JA lost his best player and had to convince 20 guys they were still good . . . it is the toughest sell for a coach. Waddell probably forgot that while he coached the Thrashers to 500 hockey as well.
GAY4SLAVA
April 14th, 2010
11:16 am
Anderson deserves to be beaten with a wet noodle for how he disrespected THE SLAVA !
You DO NOT bench THE SLAVA !
You DO NOT question THE SLAVA !
You DO NOT squander THE SLAVA !
You DO NOT underutilize THE SLAVA !
You DO NOT bad mouth THE SLAVA !
Rick Dudley should re-sign the THE SLAVA or make THE SLAVA the new coach/player/shootout specialist !
WE LOVE YOU, THE SLAVA !!!!!!!!!!!!
David
April 14th, 2010
11:18 am
I watched probably 4 games all year…every time i get excited..they let me down..call me when they don’t let me down again…
ben
April 14th, 2010
11:18 am
oh thank god thank god thank god thank god thank god thank god thank god.
Badger
April 14th, 2010
11:20 am
THE SLAVA should be charged for the 3.8 million he stole this year
Paul From Milton
April 14th, 2010
11:20 am
“Be patient, everyone – some teams never have a winning season and they still have fans that go to their games. It would be a shame to lose the team to Canada. They would probably re-name them the “Giant Inflatable Beavers” and have a mascot that slapped its tail on the ground and farted when they scored.”
Now that I’d pay money to see!
Badger
April 14th, 2010
11:26 am
Pretty sad that Torts keeps his job with that lineup that doesnt make the playoffs but these guys are down the road. He really brought Gaborik along this year . . . LOL . . . what a joke. Trade Gaborik and see how they end up.
cathy
April 14th, 2010
11:30 am
Thrashers… I don’t know why I can’t quit you! Yay! Let’s bring some of that Blackhawks mojo!!!!
GaVaHokie
April 14th, 2010
11:32 am
“My role within the company has evolved and grown the last few years, and the owners and I agree that it’s the appropriate time to have Rick assume all hockey-related responsibilities while I shift my primary focus to the business side of the Thrashers,” Waddell said.
Here’s the link… http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=317960
Not Blind
April 14th, 2010
11:32 am
I was SO afraid that there were going to be NO changes. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t have a clue who to hire as the coach. Need somebody that has some fire in their belly but is also a good leader of men, ie by example.
C
April 14th, 2010
11:32 am
FINALLY!!!! Hope they can make a move or two this summer and get things going. Evander and Bogosian can be stars in this town with good coaching and the right front office.
Perk
April 14th, 2010
11:32 am
Hire Kelley Buchberger
Who?
April 14th, 2010
11:34 am
Been in Atlanta 11 years and consider myself the typical Atlanta passive sports fan because I’m not from here. If the Braves win, good. If the Falcons win good. If either lose, no biggie. Who are the Thrashers? If it’s that team that plays while I’m in line getting black & tans at Philips Arena, then, OK I’ve been to a couple game when I get free tickets. I couldn’t name a player of coach if it was a million dollar question.
Worst Team In ALL Of Professional Sports
April 14th, 2010
11:36 am
Doesn’t matter. Spirit are still the owners and Waddell is still there.
Derwood
April 14th, 2010
11:36 am
hEY BRING OVER TERRY PENDLETON FROM BRAVES. HE ISN’T A BALL HITTING COACH, MAYBE HE CAN BE A PUCK HITTING COACH.
foncused
April 14th, 2010
11:36 am
Admittedly, I am confused. I liked JA. However, how many other teams, in playoff contention, continued to juggle their lines at the end of the season?
It just seemed, as the season wore on, they couldn’t find any consistency in their on-ice pairings. Not being a student of hockey, but certainly enjoy it, is that common? To me that equates to rotating your infield in baseball halfway through the season.
But again, that may be a common thing in hockey . . just seemed a bit off to me, last two weeks before playoffs and still trying to juggle line combinations and get a good “fit”. If it is unusual, is that because of players, system, coaching, combination?
Thanks and go Thrashers!
Facts
April 14th, 2010
11:36 am
Just a few comments for the 2010-2011 season.
1. F*CK KOVALCHUK AND ANYONE WHO STILL WEARS HIS JERSEY TO A GAME.
2. F*CK anyone who wears any jersey of a team that is not playing that evening. I will throw beer at you. Would you ever go to a Red Sox / Orioles game and wear a Yankee jersey? I think not.
3. Respect the puck in play rule. Sit your ass down while the game is going on.
4. The BBQ Nachos are the best thing ever!!
5. Waddell, do us all a favor…..pack your bags and leave.
If the team would play 2010-2011 in the same fashion they played on Saturday night against the Penguins, the playoffs will not be difficult to make.
Smoothie
April 14th, 2010
11:37 am
GVH – let’s hope to hell Waddell will leave Dudley alone and let him do his thing. By the look of Waddell in his post-season interview on the Thrashers website, he looks like he’s whipped and I think he may very well accept with due resignation the “promotion” to his new role. He looked like a very defeated man and I thought he might cry on camera. Perhaps Levenson told him that enough was enough and he was taken the keys to the T-bird away.
Wendell
April 14th, 2010
11:38 am
People who use the phrase “Me Thinks” are gay.
polskidawg
April 14th, 2010
11:38 am
An incomplete job.
Improvement, but incomplete.
Gwinnett Fred
April 14th, 2010
11:43 am
Minor league coach in the NHL – doomed from the start.
Also need some clarification on one of Anderson’s quotes “the guys really gave me everything they had”.
WTF?????? From my seat at Philips in the 8 or 9 games I went to (especially the 5-2 & 4-0 losses late in the year to Carolina and the 4-0 loss to Boston with the season on the line) I need to know if that means Anderson admits this team has NOTHING to give because I can flat out state as fact – those games, the players brought NOTHING to the ice.
This would also kind of back up Kozlov’s statements that they needed a little more of a diciplinarian of a coach. If those puke-a$$ efforts I pointed out were accepted by Anderson as the players giving it all they had – then he didn’t know when or how to kick some butt when it was needed!!!!
Puck Man
April 14th, 2010
11:45 am
I dropped my season tickets 2 years ago due to the incompetent ownership and management—I will not go back until changes are made at the top. If they leave town, good riddance to a failed company.
Stat Man
April 14th, 2010
11:47 am
G-Fred:
Well put! I agree that Kozlov pointed out (probably in frustration, but accurate none the less) Anderson’s faults – and I was at a couple of the games you mentioned too and left after the 2nd period because I was just fed up at the frustration of seeing a pathetic effort.
dr00
April 14th, 2010
11:48 am
YYYYEEEESSSSSS! Can I get a big HELL YEAH from the fans that truly know hockey and realize that this is the reason Ilya left. This is the reason why the young players particularly the Defensemen have developed poorly. This is the reason we continued to play a system that had no big league success. This is the reason that we became the most predictable team in hockey. Defense wins championships and we have not seen much in the last two years. If you were paying close attention a year ago January, 3 months into Coach’s tenure, and the players still have not bought into his system. There you go. Yes, this is kind of a firing for Don too. Rick D. is making the calls now. So is he going to build us up to be the Tampa/Chicago teams he had success with or the Ottawa team he failed with. We’ll see…
Andrew G
April 14th, 2010
11:48 am
Didn’t DW hire John Anderson? I think we may have to dig a little deeper at the root. I will say, after 10 seasons, his learning on the job is starting to pay off. I really liked the Kovalchuk trade, maybe Donny is developing some momentum.
Supes
April 14th, 2010
11:49 am
OMG…what’s it gonna take to have Don W. Fired!!!
Get rid of him and sell the team to someone who cares about NHL Hockey and building a winning team! The ASG is a JOKE!
ChippersLoveChild
April 14th, 2010
11:51 am
Don is handling business decisions, Rick is handling personell decisions.. some of you should read an article before commenting. I’m pretty sure Dudley has full control over the day to day hockey operations now, which is a huge, huge improvement!
cb122
April 14th, 2010
11:54 am
WOW a thrashers article that made the front page.
Maybe now they can move up in links above high school sports and the peachtree road race.
The Real Thrash
April 14th, 2010
11:56 am
Who does Waddell have pictures of to keep his job!!!
Hockey Fan
April 14th, 2010
11:56 am
Good Moves!!!! I like Anderson as a person, but something had to be done. Our roster was good enough to make the playoffs in a down year for the Eastern Conference. Concerns about Anderson: (1) our defensive play was weak yielding way too many goals – we do not take the man consistently – cost us games on the road in Nashville and Colorado this year. (2) Power play – Toby Enstrom never shoots – other teams did not have to key on him – tell him to shot the freaking puck – we could not get the puck in the zone on power plays. (3) Too many excuses for losing – “we are not getting the bounces….we are hitting too many posts….we have a young team…..we got some bad calls late in games.” It is the coach’s job to overcome these obstacles, not make excuses. Players do not need to hear excuses. Fans want wins, not excuses. (4) We give up way too many shots on goal and we do not generate enough shots on goal – you are never going to win this way. It is time for Don Waddell to move on – the record speaks for itself. The Spirit needs to hire a good marketing and PR firm to improve fan relations and go after former season ticket holders. A full page ad (like Blank did after the Falcons’ recent disasters with Vick) in the Sports Page is needed to state the club’s record is unacceptable and that they are going to do everything in their power to win the fans back. The Spirit needs to also make it clear that they are committed to winning and that the Thrashers are staying in Atlanta. Some comments from the NHL on their commitment to Atlanta are in order as well. NHL hockey has been in Atlanta for eighteen seasons (Flames and Thrashers) with NO PLAYOFF SERIES WINS – this has to be turned around and turned around now. Today’s moves should have been announced on Monday, but they are a significant step in the right direction. I hope some alienated hockey fans decide to once again support the NHL and the Thrashers. If you continue to boycott the team by staying away, we will not have a team in three or four years. That is not what a true hockey fan wants. It is time to get back on board and support the Thrashers.