Christmas miracle? Hurricanes president Don Waddell plays one NHL game, unwraps jersey decades later

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports Published 8:41 a.m. ET Dec. 23, 2017 | Updated 9:38 a.m. ET Dec. 23, 2017

SportsPulse: NHL insider Kevin Allen believes the Vegas Golden Knights have been a resounding success for the NHL and could pave the way for another team in Seattle. USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Hurricanes president Don Waddell often tells his favorite Christmas yarn about his over-the-moon excitement at finding a much-desired NHL jersey under his tree one year.

All NHLers have a similar tale of boyish enthusiasm and the perfect gift. The twist on Waddell’s version is he was in his early 50s, not 10, when it happened.

His Christmas story starts on Jan. 28, 1981, when he made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings against the New York Rangers.

“Got the call on a Tuesday night, got on a flight at 6 in the morning, flew all day, got into L.A. at 1 or 1:30 and played that night,” Waddell recalled. “I got scored against on my first shift.”

Waddell recalls the details as if they happened yesterday. His defensive partner was Jerry “King Kong” Korab. Rangers winger Ron Greschner came over the line with the puck on the first rush.

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"Korab came over to make one of the big hip checks he used to make,” Waddell recalled. “But he missed Greschner and hit me.”

Waddell was sprawled on the ice as Greschner skated past and roofed a shot past goalie Mario Lessard to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

The Kings lost the game 6-2, but that was the only goal the Rangers scored when Waddell was on the ice. He estimates he played about 17 minutes. Known as an offensive defenseman, Waddell was even given time on the point of the L.A. power play that was led by the Triple Crown line of Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor.

“It was a little intimidating,” Waddell said. “But I had two shots on goal.”

It was a memorable night for Waddell, then a first-year pro, who had 19 points in his previous 20 games in the minors before being promoted. It was coincidence that his first NHL game would be against the Rangers because they were using rookie Tom Laidlaw, who had been Waddell’s defensive partner and close friend at Northern Michigan University.

“My call-up happened so quick no one knew. There was no social media,” Waddell said. “I can remember Laidlaw skating up to me in warm-up and saying, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ ”

What Waddell didn’t realize that night is he would never play another NHL game.

He feels a kinship with Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, who was called up and played one inning for the New York Giants in 1905. He was made famous in the Field of Dreams movie.

“I was a young player," Waddell said. "I thought I was going to play more games. Even when I got sent down I thought I would get another chance. But I never got a sniff.”

Flash forward to the days when Waddell was general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011). He started displaying his pro jerseys in his home’s recreation room and the Kings jersey was the only one he didn’t have.

His wife, Cheryl, tried to fill the void in his collection by having a replica Kings jersey specially made with Waddell’s No. 29 on it. But she always wondered if she could hunt down the jersey her husband actually wore, even though it had been almost three decades since he played in L.A.

“I remember Don’s wife saying, ‘I’m looking for something and anyone can help me find it, it’s you, or something like that,” said Jack Ferreira, the Kings' special assistant to the general manager.

His first call was to a friend David Dahl, a retired Chicago police officer who was a major memorabilia collector. Dahl contacted someone in Los Angeles who had a large collection of Kings jerseys from that era.

“I knew if the jersey still existed, there was a good chance these guys could find it,” Ferreira said. “He had No. 29, but it had Jimmy Rutherford’s nameplate on it. But when he pulled up 'Rutherford', he found the letters ‘Wa.’ It was Don’s jersey."

That’s the story of how Waddell ended up with his favorite Christmas gift ever under his tree several years ago.

“It is really hard to surprise Don,” Cheryl Waddell said. “But he had a look of total disbelief. It was like, ‘How in the world did you find this?' ”

Cheryl laughs. “I wish I had a picture of his face when he opened that present.”

The gift brought closure to Waddell’s NHL playing career. “His collection is complete,” Cheryl Waddell said. “He showed our daughter. He can show our grandkids when they are older."

Waddell has never been bitter about playing only one game. Far from it.

“What I feel is I’m lucky to have played a game because many players who play for a long time never play a game in the NHL,” Waddell said.

Laidlaw played 705 NHL games, and he says Waddell arrived in the NHL too early for his skill set.

“He had the skill to play in the NHL,” Laidlaw said. “But the game was different, more physical, back then. If both of us came up today, and played the same way we played back then, he would fit in better. I would have to change my game.”

Don Waddell says if he would have played longer in the NHL, he might not have had the same career as an executive. Only a handful of people have been an NHL player, coach, general manager and team president.

“If you look at all that he’s done in his NHL career,” Laidlaw said, “he’s been way more successful than me.”

Dec. 22: Flyers goalie Brian Elliott makes the save against Sabres left wing Evander Kane in a penalty shot during the first period at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Kevin Hoffman, USA TODAY Sports

Christmas miracle? Hurricanes president Don Waddell plays one NHL game, unwraps jersey decades later

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