After facing backlash from fans, the Carolina Hurricanes defended their signing of Tony DeAngelo as their controversial defenseman.On a busy day for Hurricanes, the defenseman who moves pucks was signed to a $1-million contract."We did our research to find out who this person was, and not just what his perception is. Don Waddell, Hurricanes general manager, stated that there is no doubt that he made mistakes. He acknowledged it and, more importantly, he recognized that he had made mistakes. He knows that he has to learn from them and continue working to improve his character.The New York Rangers bought DeAngelo out of his contract in the final year earlier this month. He was kicked out of their team last season after disrupting their behavior. This included an altercation with Alexandar Georgiev, a goaltender, after a game."I believe that emotions and competitiveness are the main reasons for a lot of what I've seen in my career." There have never been any problems on the ice or similar. DeAngelo admitted that he made mistakes along the way. These were things that he regretted. "Now, I must prove it to them. They believed me and they were not going to be disappointed.DeAngelo has had a history of discipline issues. During his junior OHL career, he was twice suspended for violating the league’s policy on "homophobic and racist language", as well as abuse of officials. He was also suspended from three NHL games while playing with the Arizona Coyotes in 2017 for physical abuse of officials.It's never happened again. DeAngelo admitted that he regretted the slur. I'm still friends and made the effort to apologize. I did what I needed to do and went to [sports psychology] counseling classes. It was during the moment, and I wish it could have happened again. It has never happened again, and it will not again."He was known for being a combative presence on Social Media, an ardent Trump supporter, and someone who wondered if the COVID-19 scare had been caused by media coverage before the election.DeAngelo stated that online reports that he supported the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 to overturn the election results were false. He said, "I don’t think anyone would support it in their right minds, so I didn’t support it."DeAngelo was an offensive defenseman in the NHL who was productive before the Rangers took him off their roster. In 2019-20, he had 53 points in 68 matches. 19 of those were on the power play.He stated that he had several teams talk to him as a free agent but that most of those conversations ended with the coach or the general manager, because "some ownerships didn't want the backlash, such as we're currently seeing." Some fans are angry.DeAngelo was making reference to the online fervent criticism of the Hurricanes from fans, some of which threatened to cancel their season tickets due to the signing. Black Girl Hockey Club, an organization that advocates for Black women in ice hockey, made the following comment: The Hurricanes had signed a promise with the club."Reminding [Hurricanes] about their commitment to disrupting racism on and off the Ice." They also stated that they would not reward racist behavior with a shiny contract.Waddell stated that the team was aware and prepared for the backlash.It's something we are fully aware of. After welcoming Tony to our culture's locker room and speaking with all of the people he had been involved with over the past year, we all felt more comfortable with his new persona." he stated.DeAngelo stated that he shared specific details from his past with Carolina owner Tom Dundon. However, he was less open on Wednesday. Waddell stated that DeAngelo was in New York as part of a group to help him learn from his mistakes. DeAngelo refused to provide details about the group except to say it was through his agency.Before signing with Carolina, DeAngelo met with Jesper Fast and Brady Skjei, former Hurricanes teammates. Before signing DeAngelo, the Hurricanes had spoken with them and other players.DeAngelo could fill the void left by Dougie Hamilton, Carolina's star defenseman. As the Hurricanes made changes to their roster, the coveted free agent was signed by the New Jersey Devils. In free agency, Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen were added to their goaltending positions.DeAngelo's move was the most loud in Carolina."We are not taking this risk without understanding the consequences. This decision was not made in a vacuum. It took a long time. It took a long time to make. Waddell stated that sometimes people learn from their mistakes, and become better. Signing any player is a gamble. This player's value is much more than $1million. We all know [he] is capable of being a top player. It's all going to work out, we believe."So does DeAngelo.He said, "I hope people get to know me and if so, they'll like me."
