Don Waddell
Don Waddell
Donald Douglas Waddellis the former, and last President of the Atlanta Thrashers and a former professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League...
game goal learn lose move positive
I'm disappointed, for sure. But you learn from it, and you find a way to move forward. ... You lose every game by one goal ... we're going to take the positive from that, that we were in every game.
bubble certainly goal guys himself played selecting themselves
Certainly he was on the bubble as we started, but played himself on the team. That's what our goal was when we were selecting this team. Let guys play themselves on or off the team.
capable certainly fast games goals guys needed nine proven seven start step taken team wants
His fast start has been very important with Dany out. We needed guys to step forward, and Ilya certainly has done that. He's taken this team on his back. He wants to be the go-go guy and he's proven that he's capable of being that. He's got nine goals in seven games and it's been an unbelievable start.
blueprint catch knew
Once he could put his blueprint on the team, I knew they would be successful. Hopefully, we'll catch up to them.
defense depth good hot lead short speed
Not only do we feel we have a lot of speed and the grit, but enough scoring. We think our depth on defense is as good as it's ever been. And when you get in these short tournaments, a hot goaltender can lead you a long ways.
elite excitement fans franchise pivotal players role seasons share
Ilya is an important part of our franchise and we share in our fans excitement that he is back with us for many seasons to come. He is one of the league's elite players and will play a pivotal role in our success.
case green light next opportunity ownership recognizes
I had the green light to go out and do this. This hasn't always been the case before. This ownership recognizes that we're close, and this is an opportunity to take us to the next level.
anytime knee talking
Anytime you're talking about the knee and you have surgery, it's not good.
blow certainly game positive start tournament
We're going to try to take the positive that we were in every game. We're out of the tournament but certainly it's not like it's something we have to blow up and start over, because every game we were right in there.
brought exactly final games guys happened hockey knowing piece score watching
We're very excited, you know, and Ilya is the final piece we had to get done. I've said all along, 'We're going to score some goals.' Watching some of what's happened with the guys we've brought in here and not knowing exactly how they would do, I think we're going to win a lot of hockey games this season.
coming good guys players positives talk transition
We all talk about how we've been in a transition period. ... We have a lot of good young players and a lot of guys coming in, and we can take the positives out of that.
assess camp candidates continue evaluation however makeup olympic opportunity potential process staff step team terrific together
The orientation camp will be a terrific opportunity for our staff to come together with the candidates for our Olympic team to assess the potential makeup of our squad. It will not be a tryout camp as the evaluation process will continue through the first part of the NHL season, however it will be an important first step in the process.
believe bench coaching ends game impact lift regardless staff whether
Emotionally, you have to believe that it's going to be a lift for everybody. Regardless of what the contribution ends up being from Dany, I think it's going to be a lift just to have him back on the bench and see him on the ice. So whether he has an impact on the game or not is yet to be seen, but I think emotionally it's been a big lift for the team, the coaching staff and me personally.
chance franchise gives next pieces position step
We've put a lot pieces in place this summer. The franchise is in position to take the next big step. Ilya gives us a better chance to take that step to go even further.