How did Wally Tatomir die? Hurricane’s equipment manager cause of death

Hurricanes’ innovative equipment manager Wally Tatomir, 76, passed away. Let’s see what happened to him and Wally Tatomir cause of death in detail

How did Wally Tatomir die?

It’s simple to overlook how chaotic things were during the Carolina Hurricanes’ first season in Greensboro, not just on the ice and in the empty stands, but also off it. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hurricanes’ relocation to North Carolina.

Equipment manager Wally Tatomir and his two longstanding companions, Bob Gorman and Skip Cunningham, felt the stress of the team’s virtual on-the-road situation the most than anybody else.

Tatomir, who died on Sunday at the age of 76, took great care to ensure that none of the players noticed.

Wally Tatomir cause of death

Tatomir suffered a heart attack in Florida this summer and recovered quickly, but it finally caught up with him this month. On Sunday, the family was able to get together in Boone to be with him. 

Wally Tatomir cause of death was revealed as a Heart attack. There are 10 grandchildren left behind in addition to his wife Constance, sons Shane and Ty, daughter Kim, and stepsons Derek and Mike Beneteau. 

Brandon White, another child from a prior relationship, belonged to Tatomir. Funeral plans are still being finalized. Hockey was his true love, according to his widow Constance.  “Without a doubt.  He adored his family and had a tonne of buddies, as he liked to call them.  Everyone was his friend.  He was just that upbeat, positive type of guy.

What did stepson Mike Beneteau express?

He took great delight in that, according to his stepson Mike Beneteau. It was going to be a professional environment with everything flawless, every towel folded perfectly, and every roll of tape in the proper spot because it was now his show and he was now in charge.

Having Tatomir nearby meant it was one less item for then-Hurricanes general manager, Jim Rutherford, to worry about, both during the transfer and other times.

Rutherford remarked, “He was always one step ahead of everything.” “There aren’t any stories that jump out at you where he forgot to do something or had to scream to get it done or had to order something at the eleventh hour. He was so prepared for what the players wanted and what the team required. He was always innovating and really understood his position.

Tatomir, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, first met Rutherford when Rutherford was playing for the Detroit Red Wings and he was helping out at home games while working for a trucking company.

Rutherford brought Tatomir with him when Peter Karmanos recruited Rutherford to oversee his junior hockey clubs. Tatomir remained until he retired from the Hurricanes in 2012 after joining Karmanos when he acquired the Hartford Whalers in 1994.

Windsor is a small town, not all that huge, but it has a rich hockey history, according to Karmanos. Wally simply excelled at what he did. Excellent, very encouraging, and able to be critical when necessary. Also, a very nice guy to work with and good at what he did. He was capable of handling it at every turn.

Also, he was an integral part of the team’s early years in this location and a pioneer in his field, holding more than two dozen patents. He never abandoned the game, not even after he stopped playing. A special order for skate blades from an NHL team was awaiting fulfillment on the day of his passing at his Boone, North Carolina, home.

A pioneer in the sharpening and balancing of skate blades:

Players from other teams would join the Hurricanes and discover new life in their legs thanks to the team’s pioneering work in sharpening and balancing skate blades.

They also discovered someone who understood their language and could make the minor modifications necessary for a deft skater like Bret Hedican to perform at their peak.

Due to his strong convictions, Matt Cullen purchased one of Tatomir’s balance devices to repair his own children’s skates.

Hedican said in 2020, “Wally could reproduce that feeling and make sure it felt like it every day.” “I wanted to give him a forehead kiss.”

That wouldn’t have bothered Tatomir. He was a kind person who knew everyone and was never afraid to express his opinions. He frequently carried a puck in his tracksuit that he would occasionally toss to a young child who was unaware of his presence.

Adults too: The NHL types who were usually lurking about would make pilgrimages to him in the hallway at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre outside the visitor locker room where Tatomir and the other equipment managers worked.

Also outside of Toronto,” Rutherford added. “It was all over.” Over the years, his four sons have all acted as his unofficial assistants, showing up at the arena early in the morning to assist Tatomir, Cunningham, and Gorman. In unloading the equipment truck following away games or brewing the first pot of coffee at 6:30 a.m. the morning of a home game, well before the players or coaches arrived.

His son Shane Tatomir stated of his father, “He was larger than life guy. He would stop and chat with everyone on the way in and out of the rink whenever we went there, according to the witness. Four years ago, he left Raleigh for Florida, as he had always planned to do, and divided his time between the sun and the mountains. He had purchased his home outside of Boone in 2007 and added more to it over the years. After driving equipment trucks for so long, he insisted on moving everything himself.

In a vehicle rented from the same company that had leased the Hurricanes’ trucks over the years, Shane flew down from Canada to assist him with the move. 

Who is Wally Tatomir?

Wally Tatomir was the equipment manager for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes from around 1946 until his death on September 18, 2022. He had four ice hockey equipment patents. On June 6, 2012, he made his retirement known.
Tatomir spent more than 30 years working with ice hockey equipment. He played for the Windsor Spitfires and the Detroit Junior Red Wings for several years in the Ontario Hockey League. Moreover, he oversaw the Canadian National Junior Team’s equipment for the infamous 1987 World Championship. He formerly served as an equipment consultant for the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings in the NHL.

Career

In 1994, he joined the Hartford Whalers, afterward known as the Carolina Hurricanes. As head equipment manager for the Hurricanes during the NHL’s 2005–06 season, he helped them win the Stanley Cup. Except for one, all four of Tatomir’s patents are to skates. Skates can be sharpened correctly using two pieces of equipment. Skate blades, and gauge the angle of deviation.
Additionally, he created a tool to remove holes, bumps, and scratches from the blade, all of which could impair player performance.

His final patent was for a product marketed as “Eze-Out.” It is an extraction tool that aids in the removal of damaged stick blades from non-wooden shafts. Such as composite, aluminum, graphite, and kevlar shafts. He also established a business that sells this tool.

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