Harry Jay Feaster (born July 30, 1962 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a National Hockey League (NHL) executive. He is currently the general manager of the Calgary Flames, appointed on May 16, 2011, after serving as acting general manager since December 28, 2010, following Darryl Sutter's resignation. He was the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning for six years, during which he was named the NHL's executive of the year by The Sporting News in 2004 after guiding the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup championship.
Feaster is a graduate of Susquehanna University, and holds a JD from Georgetown University.[1] As a young lawyer with Harrisburg firm McNees, Wallace & Nurick in 1988, he was assigned to deal with the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. His dealings brought him in frequent contact with one of their properties, the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). Though he had no background in hockey, Feaster preferred working with the hockey team, and quickly joined the organization as the assistant to the team's president before taking over the team and stadium's operations as general manager in 1990.[2] He served in the post for eight years during which he was named the AHL's Executive of the Year in 1997 after the Bears won the Calder Cup.[1]
Shortly after, in 1998, he received a call from Tampa Bay Lightning general Manager, Jacques Demers, who offered him a position as the team's assistant general manager. Feaster accepted, and quickly took over contractual and legal matters for the organization.[2] He continued in that position through the tenures of Demers and Rick Dudley until he was promoted as Dudley's replacement in February 2002.[3] Under Feaster's management, the Lightning won consecutive Southeast Division titles in 2003 and 2004. In the 2003–04 NHL season, the Lightning won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history while The Sporting News named Feaster as the league's executive of the year.[1] Feaster remained general manager until 2008, when he grew frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by the Lightning's new owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules.[2] He had three years remaining on his contract with the Lightning when he announced his resignation.[3]
Though he interviewed for general manager positions with the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers, Feaster remained outside of the NHL for two years.[2] He wrote a blog for The Hockey News during that time,[4] and participated in chats on NHL radio. He was hired by the Calgary Flames to serve as assistant general manager to Darryl Sutter in July 2010.[5] and became acting general manager of the Flames on December 28, 2010 upon Sutter's resignation. On May 18, 2011, Feaster became the permanent GM of the Flames, removing the acting title.
Feaster and his wife Anne have five children: Theresa, Bobby, Libby, Ryan and Kevin.[1]
| Preceded by Rick Dudley |
General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning 2002–08 |
Succeeded by Brian Lawton |
| Preceded by Darryl Sutter |
General Manager of the Calgary Flames 2010–present |
Incumbent |
|
|
|||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||