RALEIGH - The Carolina Hurricanes raised a few eyebrows around the league with their appointment of controversial hockey veteran Norm Donovan as their new general manager.
Donovan, who has seen moderate success as the GM for teams in other leagues, has a reputation for being exasperating to deal with in trade negotiations, and has had his fair share of off-ice dramas as well. For his part, Donovan is eager to step up to the challenge and help eradicate some of the misconceptions about him.
"I can be somewhat shrewd at times yes," understated Donovan, "but I don't think it's the case that I am unfair or unwilling to engage in negotiations - I just have a very clear idea of what I want and how much I am willing to spend to get it. I think in the past that has been misconstrued as inflexibility on my part but that is not really the case."
And of the nickname "Lowball" - a monicker which has dogged Donovan for years - and his reputed penchant for illicit, behind-the-scenes manipulations?
"My lawyers are standing by, ready to defend me against such malicious, slanderous attacks."
As for his plans for the Hurricanes franchise, Donovan was cautiously optimistic.
"I think we have a solid nucleous of young players, but I would like to see a few more quality prospects in the farm system. Hopefully at this year's draft we will be able to stock up a bit and there is always the possibility of adding via trade. Although we are committed to bringing quality young players to Carolina, I think we have a very competitive team right now and I want to do everything possible to ensure that we remain that way."