Rick Dudley Accepts Position as Senior Advisor to the PresidentThe Tampa Bay Lightning have named Jay Feaster the club�s new general manager, effective immediately, team president Ron Campbell announced this afternoon. In assuming his new role with the team, Feaster agreed this morning to a multi-year contract. Rick Dudley resigned today from his previous position as general manager, but he will remain with the club as senior advisor to the president.
Feaster, 39, will oversee every aspect of the team�s hockey operations department, including player acquisitions and development, minor league affiliations, the scouting department and the coaching staff. He had previously served as the Lightning�s Assistant General Manager for more than three seasons.
�We inherited Jay as the assistant general manager when we bought the club in 1999,� said Campbell upon making the announcement. �He made an immediate favorable impression on all of us with his hockey knowledge, his passion for the game and organizational vision.
�Jay is one of the bright young minds in hockey and is very well respected by everyone he touches in the game. We are pleased to offer him this opportunity and I know he will do a great job.�
Hired by the Lightning on October 20, 1998 as Assistant General Manager, Feaster, joined the organization from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, where he served as team president and vice-president of Hershey Sports and Entertainment, Inc. The 39-year old Feaster was with the Bears for nine seasons, leading the team to a Calder Cup Championship in 1997, working alongside then-Bears and current Colorado Avalanche head coach Bob Hartley. While with the Bears, Feaster oversaw the team�s affiliation with the Avalanche, serving under the tutelage of president and general manager Pierre Lacroix. Feaster was named the AHL�s Executive of the Year in 1997.
�This is a dream come true for me,� said Feaster upon accepting the position. �When I left Hershey it was with the desire to one day become a general manager in the NHL and I am both humbled and excited by this opportunity. We have a very solid foundation of quality players in place and I look forward to working with John Tortorella and Craig Ramsay to help build and shape our club into a long-term contender.�
Click here for more information on GM Jay Feaster
