Howard Baldwin is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the CEO of Baldwin Entertainment, which has produced films such as the Academy Award-nominated Ray. Baldwin founded the New England Whalers ice hockey franchise in the WHA and has also owned part of the Minnesota North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins NHL franchises. He won the Stanley Cup in 1992 with Pittsburgh. The WHA's coach of the year award was originally named the Howard Baldwin Trophy in his honor.
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Baldwin has a long standing involvement with Connecticut starting in 1974, when he relocated the New England Whalers to Hartford, and continuing with that after taking control of the Hartford Wolfpack's business and every thing non-hockey releated, he has also renamed the team the Connecticut Whale.
Baldwin became one of the youngest executives in professional sports when he became a founder and partner of the World Hockey Association’s (WHA) Boston-based Whalers in 1971 at the age of 28. Five years later he was president of the league. The Whalers first season in the WHA was a success both on and off the ice with coach Jack Kelley’s team winning the 1973 AVCO World Cup Championship. In 1974, Baldwin determined that the team needed its own building. He moved the Whalers from Boston to Hartford’s new Civic Center Coliseum, a vehicle for the revitalization of downtown Hartford. In 1979 Baldwin guided the WHA into a historic merger with the National Hockey League. Baldwin served as the managing general partner of the Whalers until the team was sold to local ownership in 1988.
In 2009, Baldwin founded Hartford Hockey LLC, better known as Whalers Sports & Entertainment, to promote ice hockey throughout Connecticut. In August 2010, Whalers Sports and Entertainment entered into a partnership with the NHL's New York Rangers to manage the day to day business and marketing affairs for their AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack. As part of the marketing agreement, the minor league team was renamed the Connecticut Whale, as tribute to the former Hartford Whalers team.[1][2]
Baldwin was also involved in creating the San Jose Sharks as an expansion team, later taking a controlling interest in the Minnesota North Stars, and before later purchasing the Pittsburgh Penguins, all of which with NHL ice hockey teams. He also at one time held a 50% interest in the "Red Army" team in Moscow, Russia. Baldwin also became involved with the American Hockey League, a player development league affiliated with the NHL, forming the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Pennsylvania, and Manchester Monarchs in New Hampshire, both of which are league attendance leaders.[3]
Baldwin's specialty was buying franchises with very little of his own money invested. For example, his actual cash investment in the Penguins was just $1,000. The rest was assumed debt and capital provided by other partners. His purchase of the Penguins was bankrolled largely by Morris Belzberg. Baldwin served as the Penguins Chairman of the Board and represented the club on the NHL Board of Governors. Under his direction the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, two Patrick Division regular season titles and the President’s Trophy. In addition to the NHL team, Baldwin and his partners created The American Hockey League expansion franchise in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1998 as the minor league affiliate of the NHL Penguins. When Belzberg left the ownership group, Baldwin recruited Roger Marino, a Boston investor. By that time, the Penguins were struggling financially and wound up declaring bankruptcy in November 1998.
In addition to his interest in professional hockey, Baldwin has also enjoyed a successful career in film as a producer with his wife and producing partner, Karen. Baldwin produced MYSTERY ALASKA, written by David Kelley, directed by Jay Roach and starring Russell Crowe. He also produced SUDDEN DEATH, FROM THE HIP, SPELL BINDER and JOSHUA. Baldwin’s other credits include SOUND OF THUNDER, directed by Peter Hyams for Warner Bros., based on the Ray Bradbury short story of the same title, RAY, the true story of Ray Charles, directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Jamie Foxx for Universal, SWIMMING UPSTREAM starring Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis for MGM and DANNY DECKCHAIR with Rhys Ifans and Miranda Otto for Lion’s Gate. Most recently was GAME OF THEIR LIVES in which Baldwin has re-teamed with Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, the writer and director of HOOSIERS and RUDY.
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