Peter Karmanos Jr.

Peter Karmanos
Born (1943-03-11) March 11, 1943
Detroit, Michigan
Occupation Former CEO of Compuware Corporation
Known for owner of the Carolina Hurricanes
Awards Hockey Hall of Fame, 2015

Peter Karmanos Jr. (born March 11, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan)[1][2] is the majority owner and chief executive officer of the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Everblades hockey franchises. He owned the Plymouth Whalers junior hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015.

Early life

The oldest of three sons 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]

Hockey ventures

Karmanos co-founded the Detroit Compuware Hockey organization in the late 1970s with Thewes. The organization includes all levels of hockey from recreational to 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. Karmanos was unable to sell 11,000 season tickets in Hartford during the 1995–1996 NHL season and announced the team would leave Hartford before a new city had been found if the Whalers were unable to sell 11,000 season tickets for the 1996–1997 season.[14] Even though they surpassed 11,000 season tickets in 1996-97, the team was moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and renamed the Carolina Hurricanes following the 1996–1997 season. As a result, Karmanos is still reviled by many people in Connecticut.[15] 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-7 win. For his day with the Cup, he brought it to Compuware HQ 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 include the Hurricanes's ECHL affiliate Florida Everblades, along with stadium Germain Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.[16]

Karmanos received the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey after the 1997–1998 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.[17]

Karmanos also sponsors youth hockey programs in Michigan. Under his backing, Karmanos youth hockey teams have accumulated numerous state, national and international tournaments.

Personal life

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]

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Adams, Alan (2011). "100 People of Power and Influence". The Hockey News. 64: 18.
  3. ↑ http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130327/BLOG007/130329882/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-pete-karmanos-jr-who-retires-from
  4. 1 2 3 Hurricanes' Karmanos a true hockey builder, NHL.com
  5. ↑ Karmanos stepping down as Compuware Corp.'s CEO, June 7, 2011
  6. ↑ A golden parachute will gently carry Pete Karmanos into retirement, March 29, 2013
  7. ↑ Departure of Directors or Certain Officers, September 30, 2013
  8. ↑ http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140130/NEWS/140139975/peter-karmanos-starts-new-company-mad-dog-technology
  9. ↑ McMann, Aaron (February 2, 2015). "It's official: Ontario Hockey League approves Plymouth Whalers' move to Flint". MLive.com. The Flint Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ McMann, Aaron (March 16, 2015). "'Flint Firebirds' unveiled as name for Flint's new OHL team". MLive.com. The Flint Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  11. ↑ USAH Foundation Completes Compuware Arena Purchase
  12. ↑ Whalers Sold, to Stay in Hartford
  13. 1 2 Peter Karmanos Jr.: CEO / Owner / Governor
  14. ↑ Hanley, Christine (April 10, 1996). "Hartford rally to save the Whale a so-so event". Boca Raton News. p. 1B.
  15. ↑ ESPN - Rating NHL moves: Past, present and future - NHL
  16. 1 2 Stanley Cup Journal - Peter Karmanos Jr.
  17. ↑ Peter Karmanos Jr. - Builder Category
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