Peter Karmanos Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-03-11)March 11, 1943 (age 82) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Former CEO ofCompuware Corporation |
| Known for | Former owner of theCarolina 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 theCarolina Hurricanes franchise until June 30, 2021. He served as their principal owner from 1994 (when the Hurricanes were theHartford Whalers) to 2018. He also owned thePlymouth Whalers junior ice hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015, and was the majority owner of theFlorida Everblades from 1998 to 2019.
Karmanos Jr. was born inDetroit, the oldest of three children of aGreek immigrant family who owned a small restaurant in Detroit. Karmanos attendedHenry Ford High School and graduated fromWayne State University in 1973.[3] Soon after leaving college he foundedsoftware companyCompuware 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 toyouth AAA andjunior A. TheOntario Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise on December 11, 1989, to be known as theDetroit Compuware Ambassadors. The team later became theDetroit Junior Red Wings,Detroit Whalers and thenPlymouth Whalers following a relocation to nearbyPlymouth.[4] In 2015, Karmanos sold the Whalers to the owners ofFlint'sPerani Arena and Event Center, and the franchise was renamedFlint Firebirds.[9][10] He also sold thePlymouth arena toUSA Hockey.[11]
Karmanos, his Compuware partner Thewes, and former playerJim Rutherford purchased theHartford 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-governorLowell 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 toRaleigh, North Carolina, and renamed theCarolina Hurricanes following the 1996–97 season. As a result, Karmanos is still reviled by many people inConnecticut.[15] The Hurricanes reached the Stanley Cup Finals in2002, but lost to fellowDetroit businessmanMike Ilitch’sDetroit Red Wings in five games. The Hurricanes went on to win theStanley Cup in2006, 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 formerECHL affiliateFlorida Everblades, along with stadiumHertz Arena until 2019 when they both were sold to Naples businessman David Hoffmann. ,.[16][17]
Karmanos received theLester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey after the1997–98 season, theBill Long Award in 2010 for services to theOntario Hockey League, and was inducted to theUnited States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.[4] He was inducted to theHockey 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 toThomas 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 theBarbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in 1995 in memory of his first wife, Barbara Ann Karmanos, who died ofbreast cancer in 1989. In addition to three children with Barbara, Karmanos has four others with current wifeDanialle, and nine grandchildren.[13]
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