Eight years after buying the Carolina Hurricanes for $420 million, Tom Dundon finally got his answer. The American businessman witnessed his team clinch the Stanley Cup for the first time under his ownership.

When Dundon bought the franchise in 2018, Carolina hadn't made the playoffs in nine years. The 55-year-old oversaw their gradual climb up the ladder over the last eight years.

After years of playoff disappointments, the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6, sealing a 4-2 series win and the title on June 14.

Succeeding Peter Karmanos, Dundon took sole ownership of the franchise in 2021 after buying out the remaining stakes.

Since Dundon took over, the Hurricanes have made the playoffs for eight straight seasons and won at least one series each time.

They also reached the Eastern Conference Final on three separate occasions before finally getting over the hurdle against the Montreal Canadiens last month.

However, the Stanley Cup Final was anything but easy.

Carolina even trailed 2-1 earlier this month against Vegas. But unlike previous years, they rallied and roared to three straight wins to clinch the series.

On the business end, Dundon's impact has been seismic. The Carolina Hurricanes' current valuation stands at a whopping $2.66 billion. Dundon sold 12.5% of the stake for approximately $332.5 million earlier this year, as per Sportico.

While the franchise now reigns supreme, Dundon's work behind the curtain cannot be understated.

Dundon's Front-Office Overhaul Created a Championship Core

After becoming the majority owner, Tom Dundon began shaking up the front office and coaching staff almost immediately.

In April 2018, he fired GM Ron Francis after head coach Bill Peters left to join the Calgary Flames.

Francis and Peters oversaw the Hurricanes for four seasons, which didn't yield much playoff success.

Following their exit, Dundon appointed Don Waddell as the GM and promoted longstanding assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour to the head coach role.

The Waddell-Brind’Amour partnership significantly improved the Canes roster, turning them into consistent playoff contenders.

But the Stanley Cup Final continued to elude them. After six barren seasons, Dundon moved away from Waddell. He promoted assistant general manager Eric Tulsky to GM in June 2024.

The team subsequently made a bunch of savvy deals, including trades for forwards Logan Stankoven, Nikolaj Ehlers and Taylor Hall, as well as defenseman K'Andre Miller.

These additions bolstered an already strong core, featuring center Jordan Staal, forward Sebastian Aho and blue-liner Jaccob Slavin.

Under Dundon's ownership, Carolina created a roster that is built to win now. Notably, Ehlers and Hall scored in the series clincher against Vegas, while Stankoven and Miller heavily contributed throughout the playoffs.

“I give him tons of credit,” Brind’Amour said of Dundon, per the NY Times, after beating the Canadiens last month. “We’ve been pretty solid ever since he showed up on the scene.”

With Hurricanes finally at the top, Dundon may seek to build a dynasty.

Where can the Carolina Hurricanes go from here? Will Dundon's ownership bring another squad overhaul? Tell us in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Sijo Paul