RALEIGH, NC – Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the organization has taken a series of important steps to protect the interests of the team and its employees. The NHL paused the 2019-20 season on March 12 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. On March 23, the team and PNC Arena were forced to shut down operations so that staff could practice social distancing.

Following an exploration of the marketplace and governmental opportunities, the team has been able to ensure that full-time employees will not lose income by following these procedures:

• Approximately 55 percent of all full-time staff will be placed on furlough through June 7, and given the opportunity to take full advantage of the government’s stimulus package
• Employees placed on furlough who are not eligible to collect 100% of their full base salaries via unemployment insurance will be provided a bonus by the organization upon the conclusion of the furlough period to be made whole
• All furloughed employees will continue to receive healthcare benefits during the furlough period, and the company will assist employees by making their premium payments during that time

“The organization remains committed to taking care of our staff as well as possible given these unprecedented circumstances,” said Waddell. “We’ve created a solution that protects our employees from financial hardship, while also mitigating the losses suffered by the company during this shutdown.”