New Hurricanes owner Dundon values ‘winning more than money’

e new owner of the Carolina Hurricanes is new to owning a professional sports team and, for that matter, relatively new to hockey.

But Tom Dundon knows how to run a successful business — and he wants to win soon.

“ e blueprint for the business is fairly obvious — not too di er- ent from every other business in the world,” Dundon said Friday during his introduction as the team’s majority owner.

“On the hockey side, the advice (has been) repeatedly, you’ve got to trust” his hockey-minded employees, he added. “I don’t think I’m going to walk in and understand more hockey than (general manager Ron Francis). at would be ridiculous.”

Dundon, a 46-year-old billion- aire from Dallas, is the former CEO of Santander Consumer USA, a Dallas-based lending rm. He’s also an investor in the Top Golf chain of golf and entertainment facilities and a key nancier of a new golf course in Dallas.

Now he’s part of the exclusive club of pro sports owners.

“I value winning more than money,” Dundon said, “but it doesn’t mean I want to burn it.”

Dundon, who repeatedly de- scribed himself as impatient, has taken over the team with the NHL’S longest active post-season drought — eight years. Carolina entered Friday night’s home game against rst-place Washington in playo position after beating the Capitals 3-1 on ursday night.

“I’m not patient. It’s not going to work for me to be patient,” Dundon said. “And the fact that they had a team that can win right now, and we can then hopefully do some things to bring more fans and more resources and they can sustain what Ron and these guys have built, that was the big di erence.”

One of Dundon’s top challenges is attracting more fans. e Hurricanes rank next to last in attendance this season, averaging about 12,500 at the 18,680-seat building. eir average attendance of 11,776 last season was the team’s smallest since moving into PNC Arena in 1999.