Rick Dudley won't be making a move to Winnipeg. The Atlanta Thrashers general manager will not be retained by True North Sports and Entertainment, the group that has purchased the team and will be relocating them north to Manitoba's largest city. TNSE announced that in a press release on Sunday.
Kevin Cheveldayoff Reportedly Offered Winnipeg NHL GM Job; Rick Dudley Out
Reports from various outlets have followed that Kevin Cheveldayoff will take over as general manager. Cheveldayoff has led the IHL/AHL’s Chicago Wolves since 1997, and in that time the team won two IHL Turner Cups and two AHL Calder Cups. Perhaps ironically, Cheveldayoff worked with the Thrashers organization previously, as the Wolves were their AHL affiliate.
Manitoba Moose general manager Craig Heisinger will also have a position within the new organization, although it’s unknown if he’ll be working in St. John’s, where the AHL team is relocating, or if he’ll be sticking around in Winnipeg with the NHL club.
As for Dudley, it’s not that he isn’t a strong choice to keep around or anything. It’s more that True North wants to have their own man at the helm instead of a hold over from the old regime. That’s another indication that Craig Ramsay, the current Thrashers head coach who was hired just a year ago, could be out of a job thanks to the change in ownership.
For more on the Thrashers’ relocation to Winnipeg, check in with Behind The Net Hockey, which will soon transition into our new Winnipeg NHL hub.
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