Kaiton Out as Radio Broadcast

[Blueline Bomber]

Everyone wanted change.

Trouble is, change is risk. Not all changes are good. Not all risks pay off, and you never really know until you take them.

Saving $100k on a well-loved but outdated radio pbp guy is likely to get that $100k spent somewhere else that it can have an effect. But the $100k saved is very visible, and where it is spent might not be. Maybe it'll be for a goalie consultant. We have no idea.

But it's not necessarily just because TD is cheap. It's because he's looking at where every dime goes as he tries to build a winner.

Fans place a high value on sentiment. Math does not.

I hope you're right, Hank. Because despite claiming he'll spend whatever it takes to make this organization a winner, every move he's made thus far has been about cutting costs. Cheaped out on a GM search (if there even was one), took the cheapest option for coach, and now it's too expensive to keep Kaiton around? All this cost-cutting better show up in the standings, or it's just cheap for the sake of being cheap.

And I don't know if it's so much about cost-cutting, but more about how it's being handled.

- If they decided Francis had to go, better optics to let him go in the off-season than mid-February.
- If they decided Waddell was going to be the new GM, just announce him as such instead of having a faux search where you insult prospective GMs with low-ball offers.
- If they decided Kaiton was too expensive to keep around, don't insult him with an 80% paycut, knowing full well that it's not going to be accepted.
- And in each one of these cases, they attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of the fans by manipulating the language of the situation. TD felt the Francis parting was "amicable" (it wasn't). They apparently searched for a new GM before Waddell (unlikely). And they were informed by Kaiton that he wouldn't be returning (after not accepting a major paycut).

It just seems like the organization has become a lot more sleazy these past few months. I don't like it.

 

[GoldiFox]

I hope you're right, Hank. Because despite claiming he'll spend whatever it takes to make this organization a winner, every move he's made thus far has been about cutting costs. Cheaped out on a GM search (if there even was one), took the cheapest option for coach, and now it's too expensive to keep Kaiton around? All this cost-cutting better show up in the standings, or it's just cheap for the sake of being cheap.

And I don't know if it's so much about cost-cutting, but more about how it's being handled.

- If they decided Francis had to go, better optics to let him go in the off-season than mid-February.
- If they decided Waddell was going to be the new GM, just announce him as such instead of having a faux search where you insult prospective GMs with low-ball offers.
- If they decided Kaiton was too expensive to keep around, don't insult him with an 80% paycut, knowing full well that it's not going to be accepted.
- And in each one of these cases, they attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of the fans by manipulating the language of the situation. TD felt the Francis parting was "amicable" (it wasn't). They apparently searched for a new GM before Waddell (unlikely). And they were informed by Kaiton that he wouldn't be returning (after not accepting a major paycut).

It just seems like the organization has become a lot more sleazy these past few months. I don't like it.

- They are renovating the locker rooms which is an unnecessary expense.
- They are installing a on-ice projection system and plan to install a larger jumbotron which is an unnecessary expense
- They threw a huge free event that hosted thousands for the Rookie Development camp which was a large unnecessary expense.
- They put on a "shoot for your seats" promo and gave away (up to) $30k in free season tickets which was an unnecessary expense.
- They hired multiple people from the outside and gave internal promotions which weren't necessary if the goal was to cut costs to the bone.
- They signed the best Free Agent Defenseman on the open market (De Haan) despite defense being their strength and the action created a surplus $4+ million player to the 3rd pair (Faulk).

I'm sure there are plenty of others. Not fair to say "every move he's made thus far has been about cutting costs". Simply not true. And as Hank mentioned, there could be plenty of additional money being spent that you don't hear about.

I don't get the complaints about Waddell. Wait until he makes bad decisions before you throw him under the bus. His only moves thus far have been labeled as clear winners for the Canes.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

For those of you who, like me, sink too much time into CNBC programming, an analogy.


The Carolina Hurricanes are a failing business that is several steps removed from its former glory. Tom Dundon is Marcus Lemonis. He wouldn't have bought this company if there wasn't something good about it; the attendance numbers of 2006-2009 are good indicators that a huge market exists, especially since the market conditions are still similar (no new pro teams in the area).

But something has gone wrong. They were successful and began to rest on their laurels. And Tom/Marcus now has some digging to do. There's skeletons in the closet, processes that don't work like they use to, or perhaps never worked. The guy at the top isn't recognizing the talents of some of the people that already work within the company. There are good people here, but they're being overshadowed by bad processes or employees that may not be working. Tom/Marcus recognizes that some of the people who are the problem now may have been the same people that built them to glory before, but things have gone wrong. They will be fair, and give everyone an opportunity to shape up; this isn't a hostile takeover. But Tom/Marcus owns 51% of this business now, and he will introduce better processes and take advantage of the talents of his people. If people are standing in the way, and show no signs of changing, they will be removed and make way for those who are willing to collaboratively build the business back up.

Early in the episode, Tom/Marcus sits down with the leadership team and looks at the company finances (as he always does with a new business he acquires). And on the balance sheet he sees "what's this loss here? Radio broadcasting?" "Well, yes sir, he's been here for years, he's an institution with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was even here back when the business was in Hartford." "Well, let's have a chat with him."

Cutaway to documentary interview shot of Tom/Marcus discussing his actions in the episode: "I'm meeting with longtime employee Chuck Kaiton, who has undoubted mastered his craft, but is costing the business over $100,000 per year by not adapting his outdated business practices."

And etc.

(This should make very little sense to those who haven't seen the show.)



Based on the scraps that we've gotten, the case can be made that Dundon is not the bad guy in any of these transactions. Dundon got rid of Francis not because he doesn't care about the history of the team, but because he didn't seem to create a collaborative effort (Marcus Lemonis narration voice: the boss doesn't seem to include his employees in the decision making, and acts unilaterally to them, causing them to feel underappreciated, and potentially missing out on some great ideas). He got rid of Nieuwendyk because he didn't do anything (Lemonis narration voice: this business continues to bleed money by paying their friends, without consideration to the value, or lack thereof, they provide). And he parted ways with Chuck in what was likely a difficult decision (Lemonis narration voice: this one was difficult. Chuck has worked hard for this company for years, but his results were simply a drain on the business. Out of respect I gave him an offer to try to make things work at a salary that makes sense for the business, but it was a big cut for him, and I understand why he walked away).

And this isn't a case of Dundon axing everyone willy nilly to bring in his own guys, either. Evidence: both Don Waddell and Rod Brind'Amour already worked for the team. (Lemonis narration voice: it's important to me at any company I invest in that I sit down with every individual to get their take on the way things run around here. I often find that many of the best people to run a company are the ones that are already there, and underutilized for some reason). (Lemonis narration voice: I've been incredibly impressed with the attention to detail, effort, and past experience of Rod Brind'Amour. He knows the business well, and has gained my respect with his dedication to the business). (Lemonis narration voice: Don Waddell has been nothing but helpful to me thus far in my association with the business. While others seem to always put up roadblocks, Don always manages to communicate with me clearly, and when he talks, my BS meter doesn't go off). I can go on with Tulsky, others, etc etc.




I know he has garnered a bad reputation, but in all of his moves and everything I've read about him (definitely read the Burnside piece on The Athletic if you haven't) I can't see him as making anything but careful and calculated decisions for the better of the business. And I certainly can't read any sort of callous or cold intent based on what we know (although, if you want to consider how he made his fortune and count that against him, I can't argue).

 

[Blueline Bomber]

- They are renovating the locker rooms which is an unnecessary expense.
- They are installing a on-ice projection system and plan to install a larger jumbotron which is an unnecessary expense
- They threw a huge free event that hosted thousands for the Rookie Development camp which was a large unnecessary expense.
- They put on a "shoot for your seats" promo and gave away (up to) $30k in free season tickets which was an unnecessary expense.
- They hired multiple people from the outside and gave internal promotions which weren't necessary if the goal was to cut costs to the bone.
- They signed the best Free Agent Defenseman on the open market (De Haan) despite defense being their strength and the action created a surplus $4+ million player to the 3rd pair (Faulk).

I'm sure there are plenty of others. Not fair to say "every move he's made thus far has been about cutting costs". Simply not true. And as Hank mentioned, there could be plenty of additional money being spent that you don't hear about.

I don't get the complaints about Waddell. Wait until he makes bad decisions before you throw him under the bus. His only moves thus far have been labeled as clear winners for the Canes.

I'm not throwing him under a bus. Just how the organization came to have him as a GM.

It's obvious that the alleged "GM search" was just a smokescreen. Waddell was always Dundon's choice, ever since Francis was fired, possibly before then. So why put on the show of having a search in the first place? Why insult prospective GMs with low-ball offers? Just a scummy move.

There could be additional money being spent I'm not aware of. Or he could be pocketing anything he's saving. As you said, we don't know. But as I said, the money saved from letting Kaiton go, or from holding a faux GM search, or whatever, it all better show up in the standings at the end of the year.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

Personally I'll miss Kaiton's broadcast but not Kaiton the person. I oftentimes worked late enough that I'd miss the opening of the game on TV so I'd listen to Chuck's call either on the NHL app or on TuneIn (can't really watch a stream in that situation). I loved Chuck's voice, vocabulary, and vivid ability to capture the game such that I had a great mental picture of it. John's simulcast, while good, won't be quite the same because it'll make the natural assumption that you can see what's happening because you're watching it on TV. That said, I wasn't a fan of how he'd occasionally interject his political views into the broadcast or that he came off as a little aloof/unfriendly in person. A friend of mine and I were eating prior to a game and Kaiton came in. We both nodded at him but he didn't even bother to cast a glance our way. That rubbed me the wrong way just a little bit. We weren't exactly fawning over him and my buddy was in full Canes gear even a perfunctory nod back would have been nice.

 

[GoldiFox]

I'm not throwing him under a bus. Just how the organization came to have him as a GM.

It's obvious that the alleged "GM search" was just a smokescreen. Waddell was always Dundon's choice, ever since Francis was fired, possibly before then. So why put on the show of having a search in the first place? Why insult prospective GMs with low-ball offers? Just a scummy move.

There could be additional money being spent I'm not aware of. Or he could be pocketing anything he's saving. As you said, we don't know. But as I said, the money saved from letting Kaiton go, or from holding a faux GM search, or whatever, it all better show up in the standings at the end of the year.

I don’t know why you think it is important that they ran this “smoke screen”. 99.99% of hockey/Canes fans don’t care about whether the Canes actually looked hard for another GM or if they decided on Waddell from the start. What do they even gain from lying about their intentions? They weren’t in the running for any “you tried hardest to find a GM” prize. They didn’t gain any Season Ticket Members or favor on the potential of bringing in Paul Fenton. They made a measured and speedy decision to avoid a circus.

It’s far more likely that they poked around and didn’t find any long-term solution. So they went with a short-term solution who was 1) Cheap (probably) and 2) Already very familiar with the org. I don’t see any reason for a shadow campaign.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

For those of you who, like me, sink too much time into CNBC programming, an analogy.


The Carolina Hurricanes are a failing business that is several steps removed from its former glory. Tom Dundon is Marcus Lemonis. He wouldn't have bought this company if there wasn't something good about it; the attendance numbers of 2006-2009 are good indicators that a huge market exists, especially since the market conditions are still similar (no new pro teams in the area).

But something has gone wrong. They were successful and began to rest on their laurels. And Tom/Marcus now has some digging to do. There's skeletons in the closet, processes that don't work like they use to, or perhaps never worked. The guy at the top isn't recognizing the talents of some of the people that already work within the company. There are good people here, but they're being overshadowed by bad processes or employees that may not be working. Tom/Marcus recognizes that some of the people who are the problem now may have been the same people that built them to glory before, but things have gone wrong. They will be fair, and give everyone an opportunity to shape up; this isn't a hostile takeover. But Tom/Marcus owns 51% of this business now, and he will introduce better processes and take advantage of the talents of his people. If people are standing in the way, and show no signs of changing, they will be removed and make way for those who are willing to collaboratively build the business back up.

Early in the episode, Tom/Marcus sits down with the leadership team and looks at the company finances (as he always does with a new business he acquires). And on the balance sheet he sees "what's this loss here? Radio broadcasting?" "Well, yes sir, he's been here for years, he's an institution with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was even here back when the business was in Hartford." "Well, let's have a chat with him."

Cutaway to documentary interview shot of Tom/Marcus discussing his actions in the episode: "I'm meeting with longtime employee Chuck Kaiton, who has undoubted mastered his craft, but is costing the business over $100,000 per year by not adapting his outdated business practices."

And etc.

(This should make very little sense to those who haven't seen the show.)



Based on the scraps that we've gotten, the case can be made that Dundon is not the bad guy in any of these transactions. Dundon got rid of Francis not because he doesn't care about the history of the team, but because he didn't seem to create a collaborative effort (Marcus Lemonis narration voice: the boss doesn't seem to include his employees in the decision making, and acts unilaterally to them, causing them to feel underappreciated, and potentially missing out on some great ideas). He got rid of Nieuwendyk because he didn't do anything (Lemonis narration voice: this business continues to bleed money by paying their friends, without consideration to the value, or lack thereof, they provide). And he parted ways with Chuck in what was likely a difficult decision (Lemonis narration voice: this one was difficult. Chuck has worked hard for this company for years, but his results were simply a drain on the business. Out of respect I gave him an offer to try to make things work at a salary that makes sense for the business, but it was a big cut for him, and I understand why he walked away).

And this isn't a case of Dundon axing everyone willy nilly to bring in his own guys, either. Evidence: both Don Waddell and Rod Brind'Amour already worked for the team. (Lemonis narration voice: it's important to me at any company I invest in that I sit down with every individual to get their take on the way things run around here. I often find that many of the best people to run a company are the ones that are already there, and underutilized for some reason). (Lemonis narration voice: I've been incredibly impressed with the attention to detail, effort, and past experience of Rod Brind'Amour. He knows the business well, and has gained my respect with his dedication to the business). (Lemonis narration voice: Don Waddell has been nothing but helpful to me thus far in my association with the business. While others seem to always put up roadblocks, Don always manages to communicate with me clearly, and when he talks, my BS meter doesn't go off). I can go on with Tulsky, others, etc etc.




I know he has garnered a bad reputation, but in all of his moves and everything I've read about him (definitely read the Burnside piece on The Athletic if you haven't) I can't see him as making anything but careful and calculated decisions for the better of the business. And I certainly can't read any sort of callous or cold intent based on what we know (although, if you want to consider how he made his fortune and count that against him, I can't argue).

Nice job AD. This is one of the best takes I've seen about this whole thing. Fits the situation to a T.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I don’t know why you think it is important that they ran this “smoke screen”. 99.99% of hockey/Canes fans don’t care about whether the Canes actually looked hard for another GM or if they decided on Waddell from the start. What do they even gain from lying about their intentions? They weren’t in the running for any “you tried hardest to find a GM” prize. They didn’t gain any Season Ticket Members or favor on the potential of bringing in Paul Fenton. They made a measured and speedy decision to avoid a circus.

It’s far more likely that they poked around and didn’t find any long-term solution. So they went with a short-term solution who was 1) Cheap (probably) and 2) Already very familiar with the org. I don’t see any reason for a shadow campaign.

Are you serious with the bolded? Do you even remember a few months ago? TD CREATED a circus by (allegedly) throwing low-ball offers at GM candidates. And again, he had to know they wouldn't be accepted (because he knew what Francis was making and had to know what an average NHL GM makes). So why make them at all?

The only answer I could come up with is to portray some "attempt" at finding a GM outside the organization, but if you've got a better answer, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[GoldiFox]

Are you serious with the bolded? Do you even remember a few months ago? TD CREATED a circus by (allegedly) throwing low-ball offers at GM candidates. And again, he had to know they wouldn't be accepted (because he knew what Francis was making and had to know what an average NHL GM makes). So why make them at all?

The only answer I could come up with is to portray some "attempt" at finding a GM outside the organization, but if you've got a better answer, I'm open to suggestions.

TD and the Canes met with a number of candidates. One of them leaked a low salary offer and bellends like Jeff O’Neill had themselves a good old fashioned offseason sunbelt circle jerk. The Canes fairly quickly put an end to it by announcing Waddell as the GM. It wasn’t a circus that Dundon created but it was one that he put an end to.

Maybe I’m 100% off base here, but for me their “attempt” to interview and find a outside GM hire was more likely just an attempt to find an outside GM hire. When a job opens up at any organization it is simple due diligence to seek out and interview potential candidates. And it is possible that the internal candidate can still be a decent hire once that process is enacted. For example, the Canes could have talked to 10 potential candidates who they were very interested in hiring who all said “hell no I’m not going to go manage your team to it’s 10th straight playoffless season”. At that point they wanted an outside hire but were only left with Waddell.

 

[NotOpie]

Is this an accurate number? How do they quantify it? You can make numbers look anyway you want them to sometimes.

That only the internal group at the station knows that number and he didn’t think they had told anyone.

If the business operation/program doesn't make sense, the numbers don't matter at all. The reported numbers are the reported numbers. They had no reason to inflate or deflate the numbers because the vast majority of us don't know what average, good, or bad radio audiences are.

Also, there's absolutely no way somebody, somewhere didn't know what the listenership was, at least from a Nielsen ratings-type of perspective. It is how advertising is valued and therefore priced. If the Canes paid to broadcast the games, then they likely would have been entitled to any advertising revenues generated. The only way they likely could sell that advertising time would be as part of a broader package, but, regardless, somebody would have to present the listenership metrics so the ad purchasers would know what they were paying for.

The bottom line was this was a simple business decision to cut an operation that wasn't financially feasible and use the money elsewhere. I've been hearing rumbles about this potentiality for over a month, so it's not that big of a surprise. Based on everything else I've read and heard, I'd have done the same thing.

There's nothing that prevents them from having a Chuck Kaiton night in the future and I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

TD and the Canes met with a number of candidates. One of them leaked a low salary offer and bellends like Jeff O’Neill had themselves a good old fashioned offseason sunbelt circle jerk. The Canes fairly quickly put an end to it by announcing Waddell as the GM. It wasn’t a circus that Dundon created but it was one that he put an end to.

Maybe I’m 100% off base here, but for me their “attempt” to interview and find a outside GM hire was more likely just an attempt to find an outside GM hire. When a job opens up at any organization it is simple due diligence to seek out and interview potential candidates. And it is possible that the internal candidate can still be a decent hire once that process is enacted.

It was a circus Dundon created by making the low salary offers in the first place. It's quite possible that he believed that those low offers would be acceptable. But that assumes he's an idiot.

I don't think he's an idiot. I think he's a smart guy that knows how to manipulate. He put on this big show, making every potential candidate known on Twitter, news, etc. I don't think he expected the low offers to be leaked (hence why his "search" went underground shortly after they were), and suddenly, no more publicity about the search until they hire Waddell.

IMO, it was all a show. But I don't know why. I can make guesses, but that's all they are.

Regardless, for whatever reason he decided to go that route, it didn't present a good look for the organization. This Kaiton situation doesnt either. That's all the point I was making.

 

[NotOpie]

It was a circus Dundon created by making the low salary offers in the first place. It's quite possible that he believed that those low offers would be acceptable. But that assumes he's an idiot.

I don't think he's an idiot. I think he's a smart guy that knows how to manipulate. He put on this big show, making every potential candidate known on Twitter, news, etc. I don't think he expected the low offers to be leaked (hence why his "search" went underground shortly after they were), and suddenly, no more publicity about the search until they hire Waddell.

BB - I think you're misinterpreting what happened here. Sure, you've got the players and the timeline correct, but the assumptions about the behind the scenes machinations seem off.

Dundon had over 3 months to examine the business to understand it's inner workings....not necessarily everything about hockey or a traditional hockey team....but certainly how the BUSINESS operates, all of this before making any moves. By that I mean, the decision-making process, the management structure, the management style all the while reviewing all the key performance metrics....both financial, but more importantly, the on ice success.

What did he see? He saw a business that operated as a traditional hockey sports franchise, yet only getting mediocre results at best, and poor results at worst. He saw a business that needed to be dramatically changed. Why on earth would a modern business person not try to put new, modern, or just plain sensible business practices in place in such a situation? Definition of insanity and all....Who gives a rat's ass if he had a salary figure in mind for GMs that was perceived as low ball or even insulting? He was filling a position with a new type of job description given how he seemingly planned to have the organization structured and managed.

If said candidates didn't want the job because of the money, then fine. Personally, I think it had as much to do with how the job was explained to them, how collaborative they would have to be, and how they would be held accountable to explain decisions that flew in the face of key data.

To me, none of this was about putting on a show, it was about a difficult restructuring necessary to move a failing business forward while implementing modern business practices. All of this means tough decisions had to and will continue to have to be made. It might not be pretty and the jury is still out as to whether it will be successful. Yet, the only thing that we absolutely know is that the old way of doing things, the Carolina Hurricanes way of doing things wasn't working.

I'm very, very happy to see this alleged shit show unfold. I also am willing to bet that we will have significantly better results, probably even this upcoming season....there I said it.

 

[CandyCanes]

For those of you who, like me, sink too much time into CNBC programming, an analogy.


The Carolina Hurricanes are a failing business that is several steps removed from its former glory. Tom Dundon is Marcus Lemonis. He wouldn't have bought this company if there wasn't something good about it; the attendance numbers of 2006-2009 are good indicators that a huge market exists, especially since the market conditions are still similar (no new pro teams in the area).

But something has gone wrong. They were successful and began to rest on their laurels. And Tom/Marcus now has some digging to do. There's skeletons in the closet, processes that don't work like they use to, or perhaps never worked. The guy at the top isn't recognizing the talents of some of the people that already work within the company. There are good people here, but they're being overshadowed by bad processes or employees that may not be working. Tom/Marcus recognizes that some of the people who are the problem now may have been the same people that built them to glory before, but things have gone wrong. They will be fair, and give everyone an opportunity to shape up; this isn't a hostile takeover. But Tom/Marcus owns 51% of this business now, and he will introduce better processes and take advantage of the talents of his people. If people are standing in the way, and show no signs of changing, they will be removed and make way for those who are willing to collaboratively build the business back up.

Early in the episode, Tom/Marcus sits down with the leadership team and looks at the company finances (as he always does with a new business he acquires). And on the balance sheet he sees "what's this loss here? Radio broadcasting?" "Well, yes sir, he's been here for years, he's an institution with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was even here back when the business was in Hartford." "Well, let's have a chat with him."

Cutaway to documentary interview shot of Tom/Marcus discussing his actions in the episode: "I'm meeting with longtime employee Chuck Kaiton, who has undoubted mastered his craft, but is costing the business over $100,000 per year by not adapting his outdated business practices."

And etc.

(This should make very little sense to those who haven't seen the show.)



Based on the scraps that we've gotten, the case can be made that Dundon is not the bad guy in any of these transactions. Dundon got rid of Francis not because he doesn't care about the history of the team, but because he didn't seem to create a collaborative effort (Marcus Lemonis narration voice: the boss doesn't seem to include his employees in the decision making, and acts unilaterally to them, causing them to feel underappreciated, and potentially missing out on some great ideas). He got rid of Nieuwendyk because he didn't do anything (Lemonis narration voice: this business continues to bleed money by paying their friends, without consideration to the value, or lack thereof, they provide). And he parted ways with Chuck in what was likely a difficult decision (Lemonis narration voice: this one was difficult. Chuck has worked hard for this company for years, but his results were simply a drain on the business. Out of respect I gave him an offer to try to make things work at a salary that makes sense for the business, but it was a big cut for him, and I understand why he walked away).

And this isn't a case of Dundon axing everyone willy nilly to bring in his own guys, either. Evidence: both Don Waddell and Rod Brind'Amour already worked for the team. (Lemonis narration voice: it's important to me at any company I invest in that I sit down with every individual to get their take on the way things run around here. I often find that many of the best people to run a company are the ones that are already there, and underutilized for some reason). (Lemonis narration voice: I've been incredibly impressed with the attention to detail, effort, and past experience of Rod Brind'Amour. He knows the business well, and has gained my respect with his dedication to the business). (Lemonis narration voice: Don Waddell has been nothing but helpful to me thus far in my association with the business. While others seem to always put up roadblocks, Don always manages to communicate with me clearly, and when he talks, my BS meter doesn't go off). I can go on with Tulsky, others, etc etc.




I know he has garnered a bad reputation, but in all of his moves and everything I've read about him (definitely read the Burnside piece on The Athletic if you haven't) I can't see him as making anything but careful and calculated decisions for the better of the business. And I certainly can't read any sort of callous or cold intent based on what we know (although, if you want to consider how he made his fortune and count that against him, I can't argue).

This was an incredible episode of The Profit!

 

[cptjeff]

“Around hockey” and “casual hockey fan” are two very different things.

If you’ve subscribed to NHL TV for years and can’t name 5 PBP guys you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Edit: other teams radio guys I know are Mike Lange in Pittsburgh, Judd Sirott and Bob Beers in Boston (local to me), Matt Laughlin (sucks) and Chico Resch in New Jersey, Kenny Albert in New York, Mishkin and Phil Esposito in Tampa, Pete Weber in Nashville.

That’s off the top of my head

I believe a banshee calls games in Buffalo.

 

[Unsustainable]

The only PBP I can name is Tripp Forslund.

And I am not even sure if that’s right, John Tracey maybe?

 

[AeroFishOne]

I know a few around the league but I wouldnt give that team crap about cutting a radio guy if they were in the same position as what the Hurricanes situation is.

I don’t expect a team to piss away hundreds of thousands of dollars on a product with very limited return on the investment. Good businesses aren’t run that way. Yeah it would have been nice to incorporate him elsewhere but surely that would also mean a cut in pay for a smaller role.

 

[Joe McGrath]

The current payroll is the highest it’s ever been, right?

 

[tarheelhockey]

For those of you who, like me, sink too much time into CNBC programming, an analogy.


The Carolina Hurricanes are a failing business that is several steps removed from its former glory. Tom Dundon is Marcus Lemonis. He wouldn't have bought this company if there wasn't something good about it; the attendance numbers of 2006-2009 are good indicators that a huge market exists, especially since the market conditions are still similar (no new pro teams in the area).

But something has gone wrong. They were successful and began to rest on their laurels. And Tom/Marcus now has some digging to do. There's skeletons in the closet, processes that don't work like they use to, or perhaps never worked. The guy at the top isn't recognizing the talents of some of the people that already work within the company. There are good people here, but they're being overshadowed by bad processes or employees that may not be working. Tom/Marcus recognizes that some of the people who are the problem now may have been the same people that built them to glory before, but things have gone wrong. They will be fair, and give everyone an opportunity to shape up; this isn't a hostile takeover. But Tom/Marcus owns 51% of this business now, and he will introduce better processes and take advantage of the talents of his people. If people are standing in the way, and show no signs of changing, they will be removed and make way for those who are willing to collaboratively build the business back up.

Early in the episode, Tom/Marcus sits down with the leadership team and looks at the company finances (as he always does with a new business he acquires). And on the balance sheet he sees "what's this loss here? Radio broadcasting?" "Well, yes sir, he's been here for years, he's an institution with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was even here back when the business was in Hartford." "Well, let's have a chat with him."

Cutaway to documentary interview shot of Tom/Marcus discussing his actions in the episode: "I'm meeting with longtime employee Chuck Kaiton, who has undoubted mastered his craft, but is costing the business over $100,000 per year by not adapting his outdated business practices."

And etc.

(This should make very little sense to those who haven't seen the show.)



Based on the scraps that we've gotten, the case can be made that Dundon is not the bad guy in any of these transactions. Dundon got rid of Francis not because he doesn't care about the history of the team, but because he didn't seem to create a collaborative effort (Marcus Lemonis narration voice: the boss doesn't seem to include his employees in the decision making, and acts unilaterally to them, causing them to feel underappreciated, and potentially missing out on some great ideas). He got rid of Nieuwendyk because he didn't do anything (Lemonis narration voice: this business continues to bleed money by paying their friends, without consideration to the value, or lack thereof, they provide). And he parted ways with Chuck in what was likely a difficult decision (Lemonis narration voice: this one was difficult. Chuck has worked hard for this company for years, but his results were simply a drain on the business. Out of respect I gave him an offer to try to make things work at a salary that makes sense for the business, but it was a big cut for him, and I understand why he walked away).

And this isn't a case of Dundon axing everyone willy nilly to bring in his own guys, either. Evidence: both Don Waddell and Rod Brind'Amour already worked for the team. (Lemonis narration voice: it's important to me at any company I invest in that I sit down with every individual to get their take on the way things run around here. I often find that many of the best people to run a company are the ones that are already there, and underutilized for some reason). (Lemonis narration voice: I've been incredibly impressed with the attention to detail, effort, and past experience of Rod Brind'Amour. He knows the business well, and has gained my respect with his dedication to the business). (Lemonis narration voice: Don Waddell has been nothing but helpful to me thus far in my association with the business. While others seem to always put up roadblocks, Don always manages to communicate with me clearly, and when he talks, my BS meter doesn't go off). I can go on with Tulsky, others, etc etc.




I know he has garnered a bad reputation, but in all of his moves and everything I've read about him (definitely read the Burnside piece on The Athletic if you haven't) I can't see him as making anything but careful and calculated decisions for the better of the business. And I certainly can't read any sort of callous or cold intent based on what we know (although, if you want to consider how he made his fortune and count that against him, I can't argue).

This is one of the most fabulous posts I’ve ever read on 26.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Dundon doing a masterful job keeping the Canes in the spotlight well into July. I expect in the next week or so we’ll see Faulk or Skinner moved for a solid return.

 

[emptyNedder]

Count me as one who doubts the numbers being put out by the organization.

The one no one seems to mention is the purchase price. Forbes had valued the team around $200 million in 2016. Then it went up 61% for the 2017 valuation. Then it sold for $50M to $180M more than that. Yet all the stories I have been able to locate take about "sources." I don't think there is any public documentation on the sale. Just as there has been no public documentation on the GM search nor Kaiton's salary.

Most of us want to use numbers to understand what is being done to improve the Hurricanes, but at this point it seems the numbers are unreliable.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

This is one of the most fabulous posts I’ve ever read on 26.

Well thank you!

 

[A Star is Burns]

Dundon doing a masterful job keeping the Canes in the spotlight well into July. I expect in the next week or so we’ll see Faulk or Skinner moved for a solid return.

If you hadn't stopped by to say it, I was going to. We've been saying it for months. The man knows how to keep us relevant. Well, more relevant than we used to be.

 

[Svechhammer]

I mean honestly, who gives a shit if its 2k people listening or 4k people. The medium was losing the franchise 6-figures every year in a dying industry. This move was the absolute 100% right call, especially for a team that struggles to run in the black on any given season. Especially in an area as tech savvy as the RTP. Especially when the owner is already dedicating money to improving the facilities for the on-ice talent itself.

Forslund took over as the voice of the franchise probably 15 years ago, if not earlier. He's a national name and it makes sense to dedicate 100% of our broadcast resources to him. It sucks that this happened, but if Kaiton was unwilling to expand his role, and unwilling to take a paycut if he didn't, well then bye.

And I'm growing REALLY tired of seeing everyone bitch and moan about every single f***ing move that Dundon is pulling off right now. He took over a broken franchise and is trying to fix it. Part of fixing it is fundamentally changing how things run on a daily basis because what we were doing before simply wasn't working. The finances were f***ed, management was meh, coaching was spinning its tires, the on ice talent was average at best, and our facilities were a league wide joke, and our marketing and merchandising was effectively nonexistent. Feathers needed to be ruffled and major fundamental changes needed to be made. Get over it.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I mean honestly, who gives a **** if its 2k people listening or 4k people. The medium was losing the franchise 6-figures every year in a dying industry. This move was the absolute 100% right call, especially for a team that struggles to run in the black on any given season. Especially in an area as tech savvy as the RTP. Especially when the owner is already dedicating money to improving the facilities for the on-ice talent itself.

Forslund took over as the voice of the franchise probably 15 years ago, if not earlier. He's a national name and it makes sense to dedicate 100% of our broadcast resources to him. It sucks that this happened, but if Kaiton was unwilling to expand his role, and unwilling to take a paycut if he didn't, well then bye.

And I'm growing REALLY tired of seeing everyone ***** and moan about every single ****ing move that Dundon is pulling off right now. He took over a broken franchise and is trying to fix it. Part of fixing it is fundamentally changing how things run on a daily basis because what we were doing before simply wasn't working. The finances were ****ed, management was meh, coaching was spinning its tires, the on ice talent was average at best, and our facilities were a league wide joke, and our marketing and merchandising was effectively nonexistent. Feathers needed to be ruffled and major fundamental changes needed to be made. Get over it.

For the record: Forslund has been with the franchise for 27 years, 23 of which he’s been the play by play guy.

 

[Svechhammer]

For the record: Forslund has been with the franchise for 27 years, 23 of which he’s been the play by play guy.

Yeah, I wasn't saying he literally took over, more that his brand took over as voice. When the Canes moved down, and probably even through the first Cup run, Kaiton was really the voice of the Canes, but somewhere around the Cup win that changed, and its been Forslund ever since.