Peter Karmanos never scored a goal or got an assist, but today he is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame along side greats like Nick Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housley, Chris Pronger and Angela Ruggeiro.
Karmanos may be known as the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, but he is being inducted for his contributions to hockey at the youth and amateur level as much as his NHL success.
The Detroit native made his fortune with the Detroit-based tech company Compuware. But his passion was always hockey. He began the Detroit based Compuware Youth Hockey Program in the 1970s, producing more than 200 hockey players who went on to play at NCAA colleges on scholarships, as well as NHL first-round picks such as Eric Lindros and Mike Modano.
Ron Francis, the Hockey Hall of Fame centerman and now Carolina Hurricanes GM, sums up Karmanos' legacy best.
“It’s incredible. I think he’s invested over 40 years of his life in developing the game of hockey and given so many kids the opportunity to have success playing the sport, not to mention the amount of money he invested to allow these kids to have that opportunity. For me, he’s done it for the right reasons. He didn’t do it to get notoriety. He’s done it because he really enjoys watching the kids have a chance to be successful.”
The Raleigh News and Observer has much more on Peter Karmanos.
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