Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Do You Really Know Don Waddell?

12/06/2021 at 6:28pm EST

from Scott Burnside of Hurricanes.com,

We could start with the fact that moments before we sit down with Carolina Hurricanes President & General Manager Don Waddell he's been interviewing candidates for the GM job of PNC Arena.

Or, we could start with the fact that since arriving as the team's president of business operations in 2014 Waddell has, barring travel, been in his office, usually at 5 a.m., every day but perhaps three. And two of those were Christmas Days.

Or, we could start with the fact that over the past three-plus years Waddell has had to lobby state politicians on the benefits of sports wagering and lobbying his owner to add this player or that player with equal dexterity.

But we will start with the porta-potties.

Because, well, why wouldn't we? And not to spoil it, but it all makes tie together quite nicely.

Those who knew Waddell back in the day say he was a heck of a player. The skilled defenseman played in just one NHL game, that for the Los Angeles Kings in 1980-81. But he would likely have been a part of the Miracle On Ice team in 1980, had he not suffered a knee injury shortly before those magical Olympics. He rolled up points like a madman at the minor pro level.

But Waddell knew he wanted something else apart from grinding it out in the minors. So he decided to step away from the game and he started a porta-potty business in Toledo.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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