Donald Douglas Waddell (born August 19, 1958) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

executive and former player who is currently the president of hockey operations and

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

for the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. He previously held similar leadership roles with the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

and

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

Playing career

Waddell was selected 111th overall, in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He was selected as the 3rd choice of the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

on June 15, 1978. He played in the NHL for only one game with the Kings during the 1980–81 season, against the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

on January 28, 1981. His playing career consisted mostly of minor and college hockey. He played 4 seasons at

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...

. He was one of the final cuts for the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team after he broke his leg in a pre-tournament game. He won the International Hockey League's (IHL) Governor's Trophy in 1982 for best defenseman during the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

. During the 1984–85 IHL season, he was traded from the Flint Generals with Jim Aldred, to the

Toledo Goaldiggers The Toledo Goaldiggers were a minor professional ice hockey club based in Toledo, Ohio, from 1974 to 1986. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and held their home games at the Toledo Sports Arena on the east side of Toledo. Pr ...

in exchange for Bill Joyce and Mark Plantery.

Coaching career

After his tenure as a player, he moved to coaching for the 1987–88 season with the IHL

Flint Spirits The Flint Spirits were a professional hockey team in Flint, Michigan from 1985 to 1990, and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. They were a part of the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League and repla ...

as a player-coach. For the next two seasons, he moved behind the bench permanently. Waddell moved on to the IHL

San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team based in San Diego. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Anaheim Ducks. The team plays its home games at Pechanga Arena. History On Jan ...

for the 1991–92 season. Waddell took over as interim coach of the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2002–03 season with a record of 4–5–1–0 as coach before Bob Hartley was named to the permanent job. After a disappointing start (0–6–0) to the 2007–08 Atlanta Thrashers season, Waddell was named interim

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the team following the dismissal of Bob Hartley. For several months, he was able to lead the team on a turn around, but the Thrashers ultimately played poorly down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

Coaching record

Management career

Early career

Waddell's first front office experience came with the International Hockey League's

during the 1988–89 season when he served in the dual role of head coach and general manager. He moved into Flint's front office exclusively for the 1989–90 season before joining the IHL's

. He was vice president and general manager for the Gulls from 1990 to 1995 before accepting the same role with the IHL's

Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at Kia Center (formerly Amway Center) in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa ...

. While in Orlando, Waddell was also vice president of RDV Sports and served on the organization's executive committee which oversaw the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

, the Solar Bears and RDV Sports' retail and aviation interests.

Detroit Red Wings

After leaving Orlando, Waddell served as assistant general manager of the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in the 1997–98 season, capturing the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

Atlanta Thrashers

On June 23, 1998, just one week after the Red Wings swept the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, Waddell was named the first general manager of the

. He served as general manager of the Thrashers until the conclusion of the 2009–10 season when he was promoted to team president, and Rick Dudley succeeded him as general manager. During his tenure as general manager of the Thrashers, the team recorded a 308–401–45–66 record and made their lone playoff appearance after winning the NHL's Southeast Division in 2006–07. Waddell also served as executive vice president and co-chair of the executive committee for the Thrashers' parent company, Atlanta Spirit. Following True North's purchase of the Thrashers, Waddell announced he would not be moving with the team from Atlanta to Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On January 21, 2012, the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

announced their hiring of Waddell as a professional scout.

Carolina Hurricanes

Waddell left the Penguins organization on July 1, 2014, to become the president of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL's

. On May 8, 2018, Waddell was named president and general manager of the Hurricanes. On May 24, 2024, Waddell resigned as president and GM of the Hurricanes, being replaced by assistant GM Eric Tulsky on an interim basis.

Columbus Blue Jackets

On May 28, 2024, Waddell was named president of hockey operations, general manager and alternate governor of the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddell, Don 1958 births Living people American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen American sports businesspeople Atlanta Thrashers coaches Atlanta Thrashers general managers Carolina Hurricanes general managers Columbus Blue Jackets executives Detroit Red Wings general managers Flint Generals (IHL) players Flint Spirits players Houston Apollos players Ice hockey coaches from Michigan Ice hockey people from Detroit Ice hockey people from Michigan Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players National Hockey League executives National Hockey League general managers New Haven Nighthawks players Northern Michigan University alumni Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey players Pittsburgh Penguins scouts Saginaw Gears players Stanley Cup champions Toledo Goaldiggers players 20th-century American sportsmen