NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes are about to get a new owner. The team announced on Thursday that Dallas-based billionaire Tom Dundon agreed to buy a majority stake in the Hurricanes from the current owner Peter Karmanos. The Hurricanes’ fans don’t have to worry about losing their team since NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that the relocation isn’t an option.
“I am thrilled to continue to build upon what Peter Karmanos started in Raleigh,“- said Dundon in a statement. “The Hurricanes are a team on the rise, and I believe we have an opportunity to take the franchise to the next level. I’m ready to get to work.“
Peter Karmanos purchased the team in 1994 while it was under the name Hartford Whalers and based in the Hartford, Connecticut. The team relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997 after failing to negotiate building a new arena. Under Karmanos’ ownership, the Hurricanes won their only Stanley Cup during the 2005–06 season. Karmanos has been trying to sell the team for three years, and nearly sold it to the Texas Rangers CEO Steve Greenberg led group over the summer. It was reported then that Karmanos was asking a sale price of $500 million.
“Tom has had tremendous success in business, and I fully expect that to continue as he takes control of the Hurricanes,” –said Karmanos after the agreement. “I look forward to working with him, and bringing another Stanley Cup to North Carolina.“
There is a hope that Dundon can turn things around for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are suffering the longest playoff drought in the NHL, failing to make the postseason in eight years. After winning the Stanley Cup, the team has made the playoffs only once, in 2009. The Hurricanes’ losing ways reflected on the attendance, where the team has ranked last in the last two seasons.
