Peter Karmanos Jr. (born March 11, 1943) is an American businessman who was most recently the minority owner and alternate governor of the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

franchise until June 30, 2021. He served as their principal owner from 1994 (when the Hurricanes were the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year 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 1 ...

) to 2018. He also owned the

Plymouth Whalers The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township, Michigan, Plymouth, Michigan, United States, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated t ...

junior ice hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015, and was the majority owner of the

Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliat ...

from 1998 to 2019.

Early life

Karmanos Jr. was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, the oldest of three children of a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

immigrant family who owned a small restaurant in Detroit. Karmanos attended Henry Ford High School and graduated from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1973. Soon after leaving college he founded software company

Compuware Compuware Corporation was an American software company based in Detroit. The company offered products aimed at the information technology (IT) departments of large businesses, and its services also included testing, development, automation and p ...

with two partners, Thomas Thewes and Allen Cutting.Hurricanes' Karmanos a true hockey builder
NHL.com Karmanos served as Compuware's CEO until June 20, 2011, when he became executive chairman. Karmanos retired from Compuware on March 31, 2013, but maintained a consultant role within the company. Compuware terminated his post-retirement consulting agreement, effective October 1, 2013. He has since opened a new computer firm, Mad Dog Technology.

Ice hockey ventures

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 The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

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 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. History The Compuware Ambassadors were renamed the Detroit Junior Red ...

, Detroit Whalers and then

following a relocation to nearby

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. In 2015, Karmanos sold the Whalers to the owners of Flint's Perani Arena and Event Center, and the franchise was renamed

Flint Firebirds The Flint Firebirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. The team plays home games at the Dort Financial Center, and operates as a member of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team began play for the 2015–16 season. ...

. He also sold the Plymouth arena to

USA Hockey USA Hockey is a national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

. Karmanos, his Compuware partner Thewes, and former player

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to his position wi ...

purchased the

in 1994, for $47.5 million. At the time, they had committed to keeping the team in Hartford for at least four years. 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. Even though they surpassed 11,000 season tickets, the team was moved to

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, and renamed the

following the 1996–97 season. As a result, Karmanos is still reviled by many people in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The Hurricanes reached the Stanley Cup Finals in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, but lost to fellow

businessman

Mike Ilitch Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017), also known as Mr. I, was an American entrepreneur and restaurateur who served as the founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He also owned the D ...

’s

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in five games. The Hurricanes went on to win the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, 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. Karmanos' Gale Force Holdings has a subsidiary dedicated to the NHL, Hurricanes Holdings, LLC, which includes the Hurricanes and their stadium,

PNC Arena Lenovo Center (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly RBC Center and PNC Arena) is an list of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The arena seats 18,700 for ice hockey and 19,500 ...

. The holdings also included the Hurricanes's former

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

affiliate

, along with stadium Hertz Arena until 2019 when they both were sold to Naples businessman David Hoffmann. ,. Karmanos received the

Lester Patrick Trophy The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, ...

for outstanding service to hockey after the 1997–98 season, the Bill Long Award in 2010 for services to the

, and was inducted to the

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials an ...

in 2013. He was inducted to the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

in the Builder Category in 2015. 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. On June 30, 2021, Karmanos sold his remaining shares in the Carolina Hurricanes to Dundon, making him the sole owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. He sold the Florida Everblades in August 2019.

Personal life

Karmanos donated money to the Michigan Cancer Foundation, which was renamed the

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is a cancer research and provider network headquartered in Detroit, Michigan affiliated with the Wayne State University School of Medicine. The Karmanos Cancer Institute has 16 treatment locations and is ...

in 1995 in memory of his first wife, Barbara Ann Karmanos, who died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

in 1989. In addition to three children with Barbara, Karmanos has four others with current wife Danialle, and nine grandchildren.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karmanos, Peter Jr. 1943 births Living people American chief executives of professional sports organizations American people of Greek descent American philanthropists Businesspeople from Detroit Carolina Hurricanes owners Cass Technical High School alumni Hartford Whalers executives Hockey Hall of Fame inductees Lester Patrick Trophy recipients National Hockey League executives National Hockey League owners Stanley Cup champions Wayne State University alumni People named in the Paradise Papers United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees