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
Chick spotter
April 14th, 2010
11:58 am
I like the talent behind the glass in that pic on the front page accompanying this story. Hope they’re staying!
WOW
April 14th, 2010
11:59 am
There is a Hockey team in Atlanta? WOW
East Point Bob
April 14th, 2010
12:00 pm
No change here, Waddell still in charge and will be making or approving all moves, nothing has been resolved, not one damn thing except the inept Don Waddell continues to collect a fat paycheck for doing nothing and after watching his end of the season interview on the Thrashers site…
He never looked straight at the camera once and kept closing his eyes after and during every question. Talk about someone who is on drugs or needs to be in Milledgeville best mental hospital, it is Don Waddell, the most worthless person in the entire world of hockey !
The Real Thrash
April 14th, 2010
12:01 pm
Wendell People who call people gay for being better educated than you are homo-phobic. Not that’s prettty bad. You probably wanted Waddell and Anderson to stay too.
Cliff Fletcher
April 14th, 2010
12:04 pm
Sorry folks-
WOW-you are original, we have had idiots here before
Facts-you and WOW must be the same person
You guys need to stay on the Hawks’ blogs, where stupidity and idiocy reign supreme
The Real Thrash
April 14th, 2010
12:05 pm
Good post on ESPN.com:
http://espn.go.com/nhl/blog/_/name/lebrun_pierre/id/5086515/as-gm-dudley-help-mold-young-club
JS
April 14th, 2010
12:06 pm
Let’s hope the Thrashers have the same luck the Falcons had when they moved their boob upstairs. It worked once, hopefully it will work again.
The Real Thrash
April 14th, 2010
12:08 pm
Cliff Fletcher Anyone who uses the screen name of the GM who helped move the Flames to Calgary cannot call anyone an idiot or stupid. You are the epitome of dishonesty however.
Happy Fan
April 14th, 2010
12:08 pm
YESSSSSSSSS! This would be even better if Ilya was still here though!
Cliff Fletcher
April 14th, 2010
12:15 pm
Real Thrash-That was 25+ years ago-get over it
TURBOURBO
April 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
So let me get this right… 10 Years… Little Success… Promote the only consistent level of leadership that has had direct responsibility for this failure. So the leadership qualities that Spirit and Wadell exhibit… Promote Failure… Hmmmmmm…. Sounds a little bit like Enron to me!
I’m not sure John Anderson was the best coach for the Thrashers. But I do appreciate what he put on the ice this year. They were an exciting team to watch.
I don’t know what to think about this. I am an avid Thrashers watcher, but I am tired of writing these comments. Same theme as last year! Right now, I feel like in 365 days, I’ll be writing these same comments again. It’s time for a change… and just changing the coaching staff isn’t going to do it!
The Real Thrash
April 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
Cliff Fletcher It was 1980 and you’re the one using his name. Unless you are a Maple Leafs, Lightning, Coyotes, and then Maple Leafs again fan. In which case you’re on the wrong blog.
Cliff Fletcher
April 14th, 2010
12:23 pm
Thrash-get over it.
Dudley is the new GM and we should all be happy about it.
Have a great day.
Joe Friday
April 14th, 2010
12:25 pm
Well, there’s good news and bad news here. Good news first. Anderson isn’t an NHL coach, it was patently obvious to me from the first time I saw his system that it wouldn’t work in the NHL. It was rinky dink and reeked of Don Waddell’s minor league handling of this club from Day 1, minor league players, hiring minor league coaches in Fraser and Anderson, the one strong guy, Hartley, got the boot because he was given young players, and he’s not a veteran player guy.
Good news also is that we have a new GM, but please be realistic. This is a PR move that we, the fans who have boycotted and left as season ticket holders forced the owners to make, but they didn’t go all in, they did this as PR to blow more smoke up our rears. Waddell is the problem, promoting him to team President is a joke, a horrible business decision further proving these guys have no ability to run pro franchises.
I do not suffer under any delusion that Waddell is going to out of the personnel decisions. Read Dudley’s own words “I look forward to building this organization even further and working closely with Don”
Dudley himself said he’ll be working closely with Don, and that’s the bad news. Waddell is still going to call the shots, all they did was change the title of Dudley by removing associate from the front of GM and they changed Don’s GM to President, but the hierarchy remains the same, Dudley still reports to Waddell and Waddell is still in charge.
Now most of you fellow astute hockey fans also noticed what I did in the past year, and that’s some better personnel decisions being made and we figured it was Dudley giving Waddell some better advice, but some of the same dumb decisions were made (not trading Kovy when it was obvious to everyone but Sara that he was out of here, and it ruined our season, letting the minor league coach run his minor league system, allowing dissent in the locker room).
Mickey Mouse got promoted, and the new GM is still reporting to the same guy and states today that he’s looking forward to working closely with the guy that is the problem.
Oof.
Hotrod
April 14th, 2010
12:26 pm
Another rebuild to look forward to. I hope the new coaches will be told in the interview process that there is no time for chemistry (system) gelling. Right out of the box first game next fall , we need positive results. 1 year contract only, earn your extension.
I just hope NHL stays behind the Atl. market. There are alot of great youth programs feeding
off the NHL association. Its great for the kids.
kracker
April 14th, 2010
12:30 pm
Did Dudley make the call on Anderson and his staff?
Arthur Blank
April 14th, 2010
12:32 pm
It doesn’t matter if it is a business or a sports team, if your organization doesn’t meet expectations, throw somebody under the bus and pat top management on the back.
j
April 14th, 2010
12:37 pm
Cliff & Chppierslovechild, won’t matter what you say … there are people on the blogs who will complain regardless (some of which haven’t even been to a game this year). besides, it’s their own decision if they don’t want to come out and support the team. it won’t affect me on my decision to go to games or not, and this move is a HUGE improvement. If it wasn’t for dudley, we wouldn’t have even sniffed playoffs this year. Looking forward to see what he can do now with a full summer, free agency & the draft.
j
April 14th, 2010
12:42 pm
real thrash – great ESPN story on Dudley, thanks for the post
kracker
April 14th, 2010
12:42 pm
On Kozlov: I love him, I thank him for the years but he was through. If he had had anything left he would have been picked up at the TD. Zero interest.
I definitely did not like him ripping the team in the press. No class at all in that instance. JMO.
Jack
April 14th, 2010
12:43 pm
Sounds like they are copying the Falcons, hopefully they will have similar results.
Hey Facts, other than line item 5 you need to get a clue.
Sorry to see JA, and Weeks gone, Waddell is like that inlaw that will never leave
chris
April 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
So was the new GM tutored by Waddell?? If so, is the move really going to make a big difference because obviously the mindset Waddell used in signing players, trading players, drafting players, etc was not working.
Joe Friday
April 14th, 2010
12:48 pm
“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.”
That’s from the press release from the team. They say Waddell will still work closely with Dudley. Those of you who are thinking that Dudley will have sole control now of hockey operations are delusional. If that was true, they would have fired Waddell. Dudley and Waddell are buds, all that was done was shifting titles but Waddell is still Dudley’s boss and the owners and Dudley both said today that they’ll work closely together. Reshuffled the deck chairs, is all they did, but let’s hope a new coach can at least help next year.
For the Record
April 14th, 2010
12:54 pm
****ATLANTA THRASHERS WIN 2012 STANLEY CUP****
BOOK IT! This is freakin AWESOME NEWS for all Thrashers Fans!!! DUDLEY IS THE BRAINS…He needed to get out from under DW’s shadow to really take control and put the Thrashers at the top!
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what Rick Dudley DOES…..It’s who he IS!!! He’s the mop-up guy who takes the going-nowhere NHL team to the TOP in a 2-3 yr time frame. This is honestly the BEST NEWS to hit Blueland since they made the playoffs….Even bigger and better than Kovy packing his bags and leaving!
Get your season tix early. This team will COMPETE next year. They won’t win The Cup but they’ll certainly make the playoffs, possibly even get through the 1st round. I can’t wait to see what Duds does in the off-season. I’m telling you…..He’s the one that’s gonna take us to Stanley Cup Land! Nobody believes it…..Not yet anyway.
Mark
April 14th, 2010
12:55 pm
If you think the business decisions that Waddell will make will not impact the hockey decisions that Dudley will make, you are the absolutely foolish Thrasher fan that keeps this team in business. Waddell will continue to tie Dudley’s hands and this will not turn out like the Falcons did – no Blank and lot’s of Spirit owners!
upsetfan
April 14th, 2010
12:55 pm
I don’t care if he isn’t involved in hockey operations (not that I trust Bruce Levenson anyway), he is still technically getting a promotion.
drsoul
April 14th, 2010
12:55 pm
What do you expect out of Waddell when you really evaluate this ownership???? when he is GONE, then a lot of us will buy tickets again and support the franchise… this is like watching the Falcons…!!!!
NewCoach
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
Bring back BOB HARTLEY. Why they ever fired him after two season of over 90 points, I will never, ever know.
Hockey Biltong
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
A solid move. It will be interesting to see the new coaching staff….
Spud Webb
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
H&LL YEA WADDELL IS OUT OF THE DECISION LOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
World Be Free
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
I kinda expected this to happen when Dudley was hired. He has a proven track record as a contributor to other NHL organizations. Whether he is working with or alongside Waddell is really not material, because Dudely will make the moves that he believes is in the best interest of the team.
Sounds like the Falcons? I guess, but Dudley is his own man. I have to assume he’s the one who made the decision on the coaches. How let’s see who he picks as his new coaching staff. As long as it is not Curt Fraser.
Dudley was a character player, I expect him to be just that as a general manager.
Wayne stuck in AL
April 14th, 2010
1:11 pm
I think the only reason Waddell was bumped up to team president is because with Atlanta Spirit being (mostly) absentee owners, they needed someone the knew and trusted…But trust me, had Bernie Mullin still been point man for AS, Waddell would’ve been gone some time ago.
Former Flames Fan Club member
April 14th, 2010
1:12 pm
I’m glad they made some moves although I would rather see Don Waddell go. I do agree with the person who said “Quit wearing other team jerseys to the games” and “sit down when the puck is in play”! Also, can we get someone at the AJC to give the Thrashers more coverage?
I hope the changes will bring championship hockey to Atlanta! Go Thrashers!!!
To those who commented “Who are the Thrashers?” – stay off the hockey blog.
thrashfanmax
April 14th, 2010
1:22 pm
Hate to see Anderson go. He really did get a raw deal, and he knew what style of hockey these guys needed to play. Injuries and prima-donna attitudes early on doomed them. Kovy never intended to sign and just played them along to force their hand. Good riddance to bad rubbish. JA I hope you land on your feet running, and show the asses the problem was/is in Waddell’s office. DUH….
Pete
April 14th, 2010
1:22 pm
Look, it’s only a matter of time till the Thrashers leave Atlanta. Ninety percent of the population of metro Atlanta don’t have a clue what or who the Thrashers are. Today more than ever, the average fan can only afford so many tickets to sporting events.
Currenty, in Atlanta, the Thrashers would be DEAD LAST on their list.
End of story.
Empty Netter Assists - 04-10-11 - Empty Netters - post-gazette.com
April 14th, 2010
1:22 pm
[...] -The Thrashers moved general manager Don Waddell from general manager to team president, promoted Rick Dudley from associate general manager to general manager and fired head coach John Anderson and his assistants, Randy Cunneyworth, Todd Nelson and Steve Weeks. [...]
alex
April 14th, 2010
1:25 pm
waddell needed to be fired first, be on list of ten most wanted and prohibited to been at least 500 miles from atlanta. there is most probably going to be situation with hiring head coach. rick made his choice, but the key of the purse still in don hand. he going to say “no we can’t afford” and rick would be forced to hire someone like ja, cheap but not nhl calibr coach. it’s not in dw interest now to turn this organization so everybody pointed “see rick in one year did what clown dw faile during 11 years” i am pesimistic until dw totally concentrate on bar-mitzva arraingment for mr. levenson.
Jo Ann
April 14th, 2010
1:28 pm
Once again ownership shows its incredible stupidity and distain for Atlanta Thrasher fans. Let’s see: John Anderson brings an essentially talentless team to the brink of the playoffs; ownership trades away the only talent he had and gets nothing in return, making the team totally talentless; Anderson keeps the team in playoff contention until the final week; Anderson gets fired. Where is the sense in that? Anderson did an OUTSTANDING job given that he had nothing to work with. Plus, Waddell’s promotion confirms the Peter Principle is alive and well and living at Phillips Arena. No wonder Phillips wants out of the contract to name the arena — I wouldn’t want to be even remotely associated with such stupidity either.
NHL Ready
April 14th, 2010
1:32 pm
Good move on the Thrashers by cleaning all the bench coaching staff. Start fresh let Rick setup what he needs and he will be accountable. The DW move makes since get him out of the player/coaching decisions and just do corporate Hockey from his desk.
Don’t get to excited we still need players to many excellent players have come and gone. Also we have some key players who are unsigned for next year (hope they resign since changes were made). We are finally getting bigger on D. Toby is a weak D man like to see him go and fill his spot with a bigger body who can hit the forwards and make them think about zone entrance.
Big key for me for this team is getting a qualified coach (NO MINOR LEAGUE CRAP) and spend, spend and spend some more for a Goalie. Pav’s is not the answer right now we need a kick $ss tender in net. Then we roll 3 lines with a fourth line of pounders when we need a spark.
I hope it happens.
Kunkel
April 14th, 2010
1:33 pm
It’s not a bad thing. I’m just not sure if it’s a good thing.
Fortunately they finally give Teflon Don the same “Peter Principle” treatment that Arthur gave to Rich McKay. That alone is cause for celebration!
Mifield
April 14th, 2010
1:36 pm
This would have been a perfect move exactly one year ago. No – I’m not so sure. Could be a little too late and a little too little – no pun intended in relation to Little. I hope that Bettman will monitor ASG closely now, especially after Kane doing the job the league neglected to do with respect to Cooke.
You Can Take the Girl Out of Detroit… « 929 davefm | Atlanta
April 14th, 2010
1:41 pm
[...] other hockey news, the Thrashers announced some big changes [...]
ChrisWoW
April 14th, 2010
1:44 pm
Wow cleaning house I think they should give anderson one more year. I will say this in finding a new coach they better not hire someone who has coached a southeast team.Don will be with this team until we move to canda or he is hit by a bus.
Tom
April 14th, 2010
1:45 pm
Who cares?
DWTOO
April 14th, 2010
1:56 pm
OK – All you pinheads, like Tom, please get off the blog. If you don’t like/don’t care – fine. But, this is for hockey fans. Let us know where your passions are so we can come and make fun of you.
With the change in GM – taking into account what WBF has said about Dudley – he’s going to want his man behind the bench. For that reason alone JA was doomed.
MB
April 14th, 2010
1:58 pm
Argh, sooo close, yet so far away.
“Promoting” DW – BOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Don really needed/needs to go, but clearly the ASG just isn’t willing to make that move. I can only hope beyond hope that he stays out of the way and gives Dudley the resources to do his job well.
On to Dudley, I’m optimistic. In general we’ve made some better decisions in his time here, though most have still been on the cheap (which I fear will always be a concern with the ASG). Good track record, character guy, yada, yada, yada…fingers crossed.
JA…never got any real traction here. For those saying he kept us in the playoff hunt, I disagree. The collective ineptitude of the Flyers, Bruins, Canadiens, and Rangers kept us in the race, and every time we had a chance to jump the field, we spit the bit. My hope for Anderson is that at some point in his career he’s able to look back at this experience and point to it as valuable learning for his future success.
And finally, I am SO happy that Steve Weeks is finally gone! He was the Teflon Don of our coaching ranks.
Needless to say, this is going to be an active off-season for the Thrashers…let’s hope the hockey gods are smiling on Rick Dudley and that Don Waddell takes a loooong vacation somewhere with very, very bad phone connections.
World Be Free
April 14th, 2010
2:03 pm
DWTOO-I am just ignoring the idiots. Duds is the man now!
Will
April 14th, 2010
2:03 pm
An NHL franchise MUST be recognized and run as any other multimillion dollar business.
The bottom line in this business is that revenue was being negatively impacted by management. Certainly additional variables were present but when the business is failing, the buck stops with top level management.
This is a very postive sign, one that, unfortunately has most likely come much too late to save the franchise.
You can call Don Waddell anything you want to, just don’t let him have significant input in the general management of the franchise. He does not deserve to do this nor has his actions since the inception of the franchise warrant his input.
Laura
April 14th, 2010
2:09 pm
Waddell gets to stay????? That is disappointing! Guess I will keep driving to Columbus to watch the Cottonmouths. Same distance (for me), tenth of the price, more entertaining!
We us to go see the Thrashers every time they had a Sunday or Monday game and all of the 2007 Playoffs, but since then it is not worth the time or money. Very boring, the one game I went to this year I actually fell asleep at!!! Third row center Ice and I fell asleep; SUCH a WASTE!!! Hope next season is better.
Kaniac
April 14th, 2010
2:09 pm
goodbye losers.. waddell better keep his hands off the team!