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
urm...
April 14th, 2010
2:21 pm
I approve of this in a big way!
gahockeyfan
April 14th, 2010
2:26 pm
at least D-Wad won’t have any real responsibilities with his new post. I think the Atlanta Spirit just put him in his new position because they have some weird screwy love relationship with the man. He will now spend his time playing golf and signing checks, and will have nothing to do with “building” the team. I hope Dudley can bring us some play off action next year!
Celtic_Hart81
April 14th, 2010
2:33 pm
Waddell has been and will continue to be the downfall of the Thrashers. He has yet to make a good decision. Okay, I understand you need to shake things up a bit, but stop making the same decisions over and over and then blame it on the people below you. WADDELL NEED TO GO!!!
disgusted Thrasher fan
April 14th, 2010
2:44 pm
I dont know enough about the NHL to know anything about Rick Dudley, but Dudley Doright would be an improvement over Waddell, so I view that change as a guaranteed improvement. Anderson, though, got a raw deal IMO. I know that if the team sucks, the coach has to go. But in Anderson’s case, he never had a chance, How can anyone expect him to have a good record when they keep shipping out good players and replacing them with players off of waivers?
The huge problem that has not been solved is the level of payroll, currently dead last in the NHL. And I dont see that changing because I dont believe that the Spirit owners have enough cash to do what it takes to make the Thrashers competitive. And with the owners, the Hawks seemingly are the higher priority (rightfully so IMO given the fact that attendance is much better for the Hawks and they have a history here)..so any extra cash the Spirit owners may come up with is likely to go to them.
If the Thrashers left town, I would be one of only about 10,000 people in the city who would care. The other 5 million or so residents of Atlanta would never know they were gone (or ever here for that matter). Unless we get some good players by increasing the payroll, then it wont matter who the coach is,it will still be the same old spit.,I will spend some cash on tickets when the owners spend some on players, and based on the pathetic crowds at the games, Im not the only one who feels that way. As with everything else, you get what you pay for.
DawgDad
April 14th, 2010
2:44 pm
Well, yet another “hope and change” movement. Hopefully this change will have some substance. The team desperately needs an identity; their play is far too often sub-youth-league with mindless, lackluster wandering and mental errors. Chris Chelios cost them at least one game down the stretch by playing skating-drill-pylon instead of defense (failing to even touch the opposing puck-rusher cicling around him an in on goal), and lack of applied effort on defense has been a 10-year on-going unresolved issue. A lot of players need to move on as well. Solid defensive-minded coaching and GM team-building is needed, and if a player like Kozlov can’t play within the system then the new GM best find him a new home. Have to stop the bleeding of wasted high draft picks, and this team hasn’t been particularly adept at growing talent, either. Essentially, just a mess at this point.
When a team in the hunt for a playoff spot turns to a player like Chris Chelios at this point beyond the sunset of his illustrious career, the GM and franchise are nothing more than a laughingstock in the hockey world.
Stop blaming the fans for the team potentially moving; the fans have NOTHING to do with that. Winnipeg and Quebec lost NHL franchises; what, no hockey fans there? St. Louis almost lost their team four or five different times due to ownership issues, and that is a great hockey town with a solid winning tradition (20-year playoff stretch at one point). Pittsburgh was on the scrap heap of sports franchises a few years ago, now look at them. Fact is this Thrasher franchise is probably worth a lot more under new ownership in a different city. No level of fan attendance at Thrasher games is going to change the basic economic and perception underpinning of a clunker franchise in a Southern city with disinterested and back-biting ownership; winning might help increase the franchise value here, but even winning can’t be guaranteed to hold the team in Atlanta forever.
jojo
April 14th, 2010
2:46 pm
ONLY WITH THE ATLANTA SPIRIT CAN A TOTAL LOSER(DON WADDELL) FALL UP. HE TOO NEEDS TO BE FIRED
Shakeup In Atlanta | Today In Hockey
April 14th, 2010
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[...] 9:50am, Read all about from Chris at the Atlanta [...]
troothsayer
April 14th, 2010
2:59 pm
Waddaya mean they kept Waddell…….stupid move. He’s the second biggest problem after the owners !!!
sugarfoot
April 14th, 2010
3:07 pm
Oh, well. You know, I love hockey. I went to every Flames and Knights game. But, I never got to a Thrashers game. I live right up the road and have not been to a Gwinnett game, either. I am starting to believe that Atlanta really is not a hockey town. I am sorry; but, send them all packing.
ThrasherFan
April 14th, 2010
3:08 pm
Glad to see DW moved, and while I am no fan of his, he has made some very good decisions for this team. Who would have given Savard a shot? How about snapping up Peverly? DW is very well respected in hockey and like all corporate failures, they get moved up in the organization.
I am glad they cleaned house basically from top to bottom. All of the coaching staff had to go and a change of attitude was needed. I like JA and wish him the best. Hockey in Atlanta will be fine – just look at the Coyotes this year – brink of being moved and bankrupt to Playoffs.
Thrashed
April 14th, 2010
3:14 pm
Waddell—total failure, so he gets promoted to president, with a bigger salary? No wonder the country is so messed up with idiots like this running companies.
Telfo
April 14th, 2010
3:19 pm
why does anyone care that Waddell got “promoted” (even though it really isnt)?? we should all be thankful he isnt the decision maker when it comes to players anymore
Lee
April 14th, 2010
3:21 pm
Atlanta has to be one of the most difficult markets to build a team in. It’s kind of a catch 22 situation. If the fans don’t come out it feels like a country club atmosphere for the players and they won’t care as much. If the players aren’t performing well enough the fans are not going to come out. IMO the Thrashers brand and marketing efforts are also very poor which makes it very difficult to build upon. I don’t think anyone wants on that bandwagon even if they are winning.
As far as building a winning team goes: there is no easy solution here. It’s going to take time not money. We’ve seen time and time again that spending money in the NHL does not guarantee you anything unless you have the right core to build upon. The only proven way to build a playoff team is through the draft. The Thrashers should focus their efforts on improving their scouting and development departments and build a decent brand. They really need to understand their market better also. They should model themselves after teams like Nashville – who while they aren’t setting the league on fire – at least they get the fundamentals of building a franchise.
DWTOO
April 14th, 2010
3:22 pm
Waddell’s new title – President in Charge in Sitting at His Desk.
Waddell Must GO
April 14th, 2010
3:29 pm
Sure hope Waddell keeps those incriminating photos in a fire-proof safe! That’s the only explanation I can think of to keep that moron around AND promote him!
phoenix falcon
April 14th, 2010
3:41 pm
Waddell????????????????
i don’t get it, how does this guy, not only keep his job , but gets promoted to a higher position????????? the Thrash are never going to be any good
bugman
April 14th, 2010
3:49 pm
“…I’m pretty sure…”
Ha-ha, that’s the same as assuming. You can make an ass out of yourself (you have a lot of practice), I chose not to. If Dudley is calling the shots, why is D-Wad still here? He’s going to use his extensive biz savvy to promote, sell tix, lure corporate sponsors and right the ship he himself caused to go awry?!
Anyone that believes this I have an unlimited parking pass for sale for any event at Philips for the rest of your life. Contact me for pricing. D-Wad is still in charge.
“…the new GM can’t be any worse than Waddell.”
D-Wad sought this man out, interviewed him, judged him to be exactly what the organization needed and hired him. Based on D-Wad’s history of doing this with coaches, players and admin staff, I really think you are going from the frying pan into the fire. Dudley is a yes man.
“…Similar moves by Falcons…”
There in nothing, NOTHING, I mean nothing similar to the Falcons in the Thrasher’s organization. McKay is not D-Wad. Arthur Blank is not ASG. Dudley is not Dimitroff.
“…No way that Waddell stays without calling the shots.”
Agreed. Now D-Wad has more authority over more of the organization….#!@&$*
“I’m pretty sure Dudley has full control over the day to day hockey operations now, which is a huge, huge improvement!”
There you go assuming again. You been in Donny’s office eves dropping again? He send you a private tweet? Do you clean his office and you “accidently” read a memo on his desk?! You still believe anything that comes outta that man’s mouth?! *sigh* You need a clubbing.
Dudley is a huge (wow, x2!) improvement? Let’s let him get “his” 5 year plan to fruition then decide whether he can do anything respectable, OK?
Being excited = OK
Being stoopid = not OK
“Who does Waddell have pictures of to keep his job!!!”
Pictures, personal info, something blackmail related! That can be the only thing keeping this tool here!
Joe Friday = bull’s-eye
Now, if there is any validity to the claim that Dudley is running the hockey ops, we are (at best) in for a two (if we and Dudley are really lucky) to four year reconstruction of the team. Coaches in place, scheme implemented, players hired that fit, and of course the execution when all the pieces are together. If this is just more ASG/D-Wad crap then we will spiral into the same ole pattern we have established over the course of 10 fruitless/futile seasons. I can’t wait for more As The Wad Turns…
Ezekiel
April 14th, 2010
3:49 pm
What happened to Don Waddell’s 5 year plan that he had 11 years ago? H
Ezekiel
April 14th, 2010
3:51 pm
How does a bum like Don Waddell keep a freakin’ job???? The Thrashers keep missing the playoffs and Waddell keeps getting promoted? How the heck does that happen??? Who among us in the real world wouldn’t love a job where we are totally incompetent yet keep getting promotions and raises?? Waddell has ruined hockey in Atlanta and the Thrashers organiztion rewards him with yet ANOTHER promotion. ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN’ AMAZING!!!
The Morning Skate: How Will the Playoffs Be Officiated? - Slap Shot Blog - NYTimes.com
April 14th, 2010
3:52 pm
[...] Around: John Anderson, who was fired this morning as coach of the Thrashers told Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his dismissal was an “absolute disappointment. “From last year, I don’t like to use the [...]
JM
April 14th, 2010
3:55 pm
“Have Patience.” ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!! I have been “patient” with hockey in Atlanta since the Flames games in the 70’s. The Knights weren’t worthy of serious attention, and after a long drought “NHL hockey” returned to Atlanta with the Thrashers. Well, folks, after watching Waddell burn through four coaches, Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, Mark Savard, Mark Recchi, and other players who went on to bigger and better things after escaping from Atlanta, I’ve come to the conclusion the Thrashers are where hockey players are sent to die. The coach is responsible for creating a winner, but until Waddell is GONE FOR GOOD, Atlanta will never have a team that knows how to win. The ownership is a bunch of incestuous idiots who don’t know or care about hockey, the players or the fans, who are the one who pay their salaries.
I’m glad the playoffs are beginning; at last I can watch some REAL hockey and enjoy the sport I love.
Ezekiel
April 14th, 2010
3:55 pm
Cancelled my 4 season tickets a few seasons ago and will NEVER renew until Don Waddell is fired!!!!!!!
Adam
April 14th, 2010
3:57 pm
Ezekiel, if you’re serious, it was split in two in the middle of Lenox Road in late September 2003.
Lee
April 14th, 2010
3:58 pm
I’ll miss you JA! And I thought DW was bad as GM, wait till next year!
Jimbo
April 14th, 2010
3:58 pm
Good move. Still don’t believe that someone can perform so poorly and get promoted but at least he’s not on the front line. Give us an NHL experienced coach who can counter the trap and close down games. Will keep my season tix with this Light At The End of the Tunnel.
Josh
April 14th, 2010
3:59 pm
This is music to my ears… too bad asg didn’t fire Don Waddel. Can’t trust him with anything!
AM
April 14th, 2010
4:10 pm
Bob Hartley was a Stanley Cup Champion Coach and Wad and the Spirit fired him. We have had an all-star team of players and traded them all. Wad and the Spirit are the only loosing factors left. Glad I did not spend a single nickel on tickets this years and I knew they would not make the playoffs as long a WAD and the Spirit are making decisions.
World Be Free
April 14th, 2010
4:12 pm
telfo-I am with you, don’t know why everyone is focusing on Don Waddell. He’s not the GM anymore; a guy with GM experience is. You can’t please some people no matter what you do.
Steve
April 14th, 2010
4:25 pm
This was NOT a playoff caliber team, even with Kovalchuck. Yet Don Waddell, the person who was most responsible for the sub-par talent this organization put on the ice, gets promoted. You just have to laugh…
KLS1
April 14th, 2010
4:33 pm
I like JA but unlike his buddy Boudreau he inherited a mess and a bunch of B players. Get aboard the NHL coaching carousel…its quite a ride.
Smoothie
April 14th, 2010
4:39 pm
bugman – have you ever taken the time to listen to Rick Dudley speak? He is far from a “yes” man. If you believe that you are as stupid as the people you are calling out to be stupid on this blog. I think the man’s record speaks for itself…he knows talent and assuming he gets the same $52 M budget, he will do just fine. Have a little faith.
bugman
April 14th, 2010
4:46 pm
Smoothie,
I have heard him speak and know of his past. I still believe that he is gonna be subject to D-Wads direction and final approval.
My faith went out the door in 2002.
Lose the Prez and I will try to find some again.
P. Bull Terrier
April 14th, 2010
4:59 pm
Leave it to the Atlanta Spirit to react to constant losing by firing the water boy and promoting everyone else.
I can’t claim to be enough of a hocky expert to know if the coach was any good, but I can see that he didn’t have much to work with. The people who are responsible for the lack of talented players are the ones who got promoted and the owners. Maybe we can promote the Atlanta Spirit Group to another city.
Alan R.
April 14th, 2010
5:00 pm
bugman, it might be wise, at this point, to take a “wait and see” approach. We’ll wait, and see exactly how muddy Waddell makes the waters.
a$g
April 14th, 2010
5:08 pm
Don is great. He keeps the payroll right were we want it.
Buy more ticket$ we turning the corner now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DWTOO
April 14th, 2010
5:10 pm
WBF – Thanks for the advice. I know – ignore the trolls. Indeed a glorious day for Thrasher hockey (or what goes for Thrahser hockey). I am indeed fired up over the Dudley hire. Just heard him on XM and am further impressed. Only thing that scares me is he was talking about signing Moose and keeping the same tandem as this year. However, he could just be cautious. Don’t what to tip your hand or throw Moose under the bus.
shannon1776
April 14th, 2010
5:11 pm
This is why I don’t follow this team. The one man constant in all this is kept. It has been his decisions that have lead to this.
The team will not be here next season
Ilya K
April 14th, 2010
5:13 pm
I miss this team so much.
For the Record
April 14th, 2010
5:18 pm
Sage/bugman (same guy) shows his ignorance regarding Rick Dudley. Here’s his track record for those who don’t know. It speaks for itself. The complete bio is at the Thrashers website. He also called in to NHL Power Play earlier and sounds like he has a decent plan for the off-season and near future. He said an NHL coach “can’t be a one-trick pony” and needs to be a technician and a teacher.
“Dudley joined Atlanta after five years with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he served as the team’s assistant general manager for the last three seasons. He originally joined the Blackhawks in 2004 as a consultant and was named director of player personnel prior to the 2005-06 season.
The Blackhawks, who finished with the Western Conference’s worst record in 2003-04, earned the third-best record in the conference and appeared in the Western Conference Finals in Dudley’s last season with the team in 2008-09.
The Blackhawks now feature some of the league’s top young players, such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Ladd, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Ben Eager, who were all obtained during his time with the franchise. He also played a key role in Chicago’s acquisition of veteran stars Nikolai Khabibulin, Martin Havlat and Brian Campbell.
Before joining the Blackhawks, Dudley served as the general manager of the Florida Panthers for two seasons from 2002-03 to 2003-04. With the Panthers, he guided the team to improved records both seasons while drafting players such as Jay Bouwmeester and Nathan Horton in the NHL Entry Draft.
From 1999-00 to 2001-02, Dudley was the Tampa Bay Lightning’s general manager. With Tampa Bay, Dudley was responsible for rebuilding a last-place franchise and setting them on a path that culminated in the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship. He acquired many key players for the eventual NHL champions, including Martin St. Louis, Nikolai Khabibulin, Dan Boyle, Dave Andreychuk, Cory Sarich, Fredrik Modin, Tim Taylor and Vaclav Prospal.
Prior to joining the Lightning, Dudley served as the general manager for the Ottawa Senators for one season in 1998-99. That season, the Senators improved by 20 points over the previous year, earning 44 wins and 103 points while claiming the Northeast Division title.
Overall, in each of his 10 seasons as an executive in the NHL, his teams have earned improved records from the previous year, representing an increase of more than 10 standings points annually.”
a$g
April 14th, 2010
5:21 pm
No more bad stuff about don he our patsy you just shut up buy more ticket$
next year more amatuer plays for you
Ilya K
April 14th, 2010
5:24 pm
FOR THE RECORD
Do you really believe these owners are trying to figure out how to win.
Does anyone out there still think that way.
Really?
Curlygreg
April 14th, 2010
5:26 pm
Stop worrying about Waddell. JA did nothing. This team had no heart and a poor game plan. Coaching can fix that. There is (some) talent on this team, but it must be developed.
Jack
April 14th, 2010
5:43 pm
Ilya I think you need to worry more about how you are going to choke in the playoffs yet again. the Thrashers are not your team anymore and that was your choice
Don s/b gone !!
April 14th, 2010
5:50 pm
This a good start but the biggest prpblems still linger on. The new team President and the entire Spirit group should have left town before John Anderson. Another coach leaves the team as the franchise scapegoat. Nothing has really changed if Waddell still has a say in the teams day to day operations. Move the Thrashers to Quebec City where they will draw bigger crowds than the amount of fed up fans that will stay away next season.
What People Are Saying | Blueland Blog: The Official Blog Of The Atlanta Thrashers
April 14th, 2010
5:55 pm
[...] Coach Search Should Start With Stevens” – Craig Custance, Sporting News – “Waddell moved up, Dudley in, coaches out” – Chris Vivlamore, AJC – “Why Teflon Don Waddell had become toxic for the [...]
Joe Friday
April 14th, 2010
6:03 pm
Guys, hate to burst your bubble but it’s exactly as I suspected. I just heard it out of Dudley’s own mouth on HNIC on Sirius when Jeff Marek asked him “what about the new coach” At the end of the interview. Dudley replied “between Donnie and I we have given about 100 interviews today and we haven’t had time. Tomorrow morning Don and I will sit down…” and then he stopped in mid sentence as I think he realized he was giving up the fact that Don is still in charge on the hockey decisions and he went on to say about how “we’re going to look hard and there’s no hurry etc”
there you have it guys, this isn’t a McKay, this is a PR move to make it look to some like DW isn’t still in charge, but Dudley just admitted he is and is starting tomorrow they both are sitting down to together begin to choose our next coach, so status quo with waddell in charge, fellas
DJ
April 14th, 2010
6:22 pm
Joe
I think that Rick was being classy when he brought DW into interview which I listen to also. He did a niced job.
Chris
Can ask who makes the final hockey decisions and who rick reports to?
DJ
April 14th, 2010
6:24 pm
so sinclear wrote to fast and had a misspelling. I’ll try to do better next time by proofing my masterpiece:)
LFP6
April 14th, 2010
6:29 pm
Hopefully whomever gets hired will help the team not fall flat in the 2nd half of the season.
Eugene
April 14th, 2010
6:40 pm
It’s kind of laughable that the coach says he shouldn’t have been fired because they almost made the playoffs. In the Western Conference 8 teams had 95 points and over. In the East there were only 4 teams with that point total. Being the bottom feeder of the Eastern Conference is like being named Valedictorian of Summer School. If you were one of the unlucky few who saw the games live and in person, you’d notice that the Thrashers were poorly coached. There was no flow to their games and the players all thought they were playing for the Russian Red Army Team. The Thrashers do not have the skill or finesse to play that kind of hockey game. The only way the Thrashers were going to win was if all the players were willing to pay the price. Look at the top 12 teams in the NHL, every single one of those teams has at least 1 line of players willing to block shots, stand in front of the net and take the punishment from opposing teams, get into the corners and fight for the puck. Atlanta didn’t even have one player willing to do that. In the Boston game, When Chara was taking a shot, all the Atlanta players were trying to get out of the way thus creating an even bigger screen for the goalie. The Thrashers need a coach who knows how to coach young players. They need a coach that will hold them accountable and they need a coach that the players can respect. They desperately need someone like Craig MacTavish.