Peter Karmanos Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | March 11, 1943
Occupation | Former CEO of Compuware Corporation |
Known for | Former owner of the Carolina Hurricanes |
Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame, 2015 |
Peter Karmanos Jr. (born March 11, 1943) [1] [2] is an American businessman who was most recently the minority owner and alternate governor of the Carolina Hurricanes franchise until June 30, 2021. He served as their principal owner from 1994 (when the Hurricanes were the Hartford Whalers) to 2018. He also owned the Plymouth Whalers junior ice hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015, and was the majority owner of the Florida Everblades from 1998 to 2019.
Karmanos Jr. was born in Detroit, the oldest of three children of a Greek immigrant family who owned a small restaurant in Detroit. Karmanos attended Henry Ford High School and graduated from Wayne State University in 1973. [3] Soon after leaving college he founded software company Compuware with two partners, Thomas Thewes and Allen Cutting. [4] Karmanos served as Compuware's CEO until June 20, 2011, when he became executive chairman. [5] Karmanos retired from Compuware on March 31, 2013, but maintained a consultant role within the company. [6] Compuware terminated his post-retirement consulting agreement, effective October 1, 2013. [7] He has since opened a new computer firm, Mad Dog Technology. [8]
Karmanos co-founded the Detroit Compuware Hockey organization in the late 1970s with Thewes. The organization has included all levels of hockey from recreational to youth AAA and junior A. The Ontario Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise on December 11, 1989, to be known as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. The team later became the Detroit Junior Red Wings, Detroit Whalers and then Plymouth Whalers following a relocation to nearby Plymouth. [4] In 2015, Karmanos sold the Whalers to the owners of Flint's Perani Arena and Event Center, and the franchise was renamed Flint Firebirds. [9] [10] He also sold the Plymouth arena to USA Hockey. [11]
Karmanos, his Compuware partner Thewes, and former player Jim Rutherford purchased the Hartford Whalers in 1994, for $47.5 million. At the time, they had committed to keeping the team in Hartford for at least four years. [12] [13] Connecticut's then-governor Lowell P. Weicker announced that Karmanos would be critical for the team to stay in Hartford. Weicker later became a member of the Compuware Board of Directors. Hartford sold less than 11,000 season tickets for the 1995–96 NHL season and Karmanos announced the team would leave Hartford if the Whalers were unable to sell 11,000 season tickets for the 1996–97 season. [14] Even though they surpassed 11,000 season tickets, the team was moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and renamed the Carolina Hurricanes following the 1996–97 season. As a result, Karmanos is still reviled by many people in Connecticut. [15] The Hurricanes reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002, but lost to fellow Detroit businessman Mike Ilitch’s Detroit Red Wings in five games. The Hurricanes went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2006, with Karmanos eagerly donning his skates, hoisting the Cup, and skating around with it briefly after the game seven win. For his day with the Cup, he brought it to Compuware headquarters in Detroit and allowed employees to get their photo taken individually with the Cup. [16]
Karmanos' Gale Force Holdings has a subsidiary dedicated to the NHL, Hurricanes Holdings, LLC, which includes the Hurricanes and their stadium, PNC Arena. The holdings also included the Hurricanes's former ECHL affiliate Florida Everblades, along with stadium Hertz Arena until 2019 when they both were sold to Naples businessman David Hoffmann. ,. [16] [17]
Karmanos received the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey after the 1997–98 season, the Bill Long Award in 2010 for services to the Ontario Hockey League, and was inducted to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. [4] He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder Category in 2015. [18]
Karmanos also sponsors youth hockey programs in Michigan.
On January 11, 2018, it was announced that he had sold controlling interest in the Hurricanes to Thomas Dundon, while retaining a minority interest. [19] On June 30, 2021, Karmanos sold his remaining shares in the Carolina Hurricanes to Dundon, making him the sole owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. [20] He sold the Florida Everblades in August 2019. [21]
Karmanos donated money to the Michigan Cancer Foundation, which was renamed the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in 1995 in memory of his first wife, Barbara Ann Karmanos, who died of breast cancer in 1989. In addition to three children with Barbara, Karmanos has four others with current wife Danialle, and nine grandchildren. [13]
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, and play their home games at PNC Arena.
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1997. Originally based in Boston, the team joined the WHA in the league's inaugural season, and was known as the New England Whalers throughout its time in the WHA. The Whalers moved to Hartford in 1974 and joined the NHL in the NHL–WHA merger of 1979.
Ronald Michael Francis Jr. is a Canadian ice hockey sports executive and former player. He currently serves as the general manager of the Seattle Kraken. He spent most of his career as either a player or executive for the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes organization, 23 years in total.
The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan.
The Detroit Junior Red Wings were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons from 1992 to 1995. The Jr. Red Wings were based in Detroit, Michigan.
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) starting in the 2022–23 ECHL season. Their home games are played at Hertz Arena.
The USA Hockey Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan, opened in 1996. Originally known as the Compuware Sports Arena, its name was shortened to Compuware Arena on September 11, 2007, to better market the venue for non-sporting events it hosted. It was renamed again to USA Hockey Arena in 2015 when the USA Hockey Foundation purchased the arena.
Paul Maurice is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games, reaching the milestone on November 28, 2010. He also holds a record for the most losses by an NHL coach with 713.
Chad LaRose is an American former professional hockey player. He has previously played as a Stanley Cup winner for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Detroit Compuware Ambassadors were an elite Midget Major ice hockey team playing in the Tier I Elite Hockey League. The Ambassadors previously had separate franchises that competed in the North American Hockey League and in the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons from 1990 to 1992. The Compuware Ambassadors were based in Detroit, Michigan.
The Detroit Whalers were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. The Whalers were based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
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Thomas Thewes was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He was vice chairman and a co-founder of Compuware Corporation along with Peter Karmanos and Allen Cutting.
The 1994–95 Hartford Whalers season was the 23rd season of the franchise, 16th season in the NHL. Despite trading away star forward Pat Verbeek to the New York Rangers on March 23, 1995, the Whalers played solid over the next 16 games from March 25 to April 24, with a record of 8-7-1. However, the Whalers could not keep pace with the New York Rangers who went on to take 8th place in the Eastern Conference. It was the third consecutive season that the Whalers missed the playoffs. On a positive note, the Whalers had the most overtime wins and the best overtime record in the NHL, going 4-0-5. Darren Turcotte led all NHL skaters in overtime goals scored with 2.
The 1996–97 Hartford Whalers season was the 25th season of the franchise and the 18th and final season in Hartford. The Whalers would move to Greensboro, North Carolina, the next season to become the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 1997–98 Carolina Hurricanes season was the 26th season in franchise history, their 19th as a member of the National Hockey League (NHL), and their first in North Carolina. Formerly the Hartford Whalers, the team would play in Greensboro while a new arena was being constructed in Raleigh. The club finished sub-.500 and failed to qualify for the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Alexander Nedeljkovic is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nedeljkovic was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
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Thomas Dundon is an American businessman, specializing in financial services, real estate and sports entertainment. He is chairman and managing partner of Dundon Capital Partners in Dallas, Texas, chairman of pickleball.com, and is the sole owner and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and was on the board of the former Alliance of American Football.
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