 In 1992, the Whalers made the playoffs for the final time, but were bounced in the first round in seven games by the Canadiens.Two years later, the team hired Jim Rutherford as general manager, a position that he would hold within the franchise for twenty years.The organization retains many Whalers connections among its off-ice personnel; in addition to many members of executive management and the coaching staff, broadcasters Chuck Kaiton, John Forslund and Tripp Tracy (at the time a minor-league player), and equipment managers Wally Tatomir, Skip Cunningham and Bob Gorman all made the move to North Carolina with the team.