Raleigh, NC -- Late Wednesday, the Carolina Hurricanes issued a press release noting that Tom Dundon had bought out the remaining minority shareholders and become the sole owner of the team.
Dundon had owned a controlling 51% stake in the franchise since 2018, acquired in a sale from Peter Karmanos Jr., who bought the team in the 90s and orchestrated the move from Hartford to Raleigh.
Dundon shook things up in Raleigh soon after taking the reins, replacing Ron Francis as General Manager and putting Rod Brind'Amour behind the bench as head coach.
It's hard to argue with the results: three straight years making the playoffs (after a nine-year absence), a division title, and Brind'Amour just signed a contract extension on the same day he won Coach of the Year.
Not bad.
Full Press Release from the Hurricanes organization:
"RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that Tom Dundon has completed the purchase of all remaining minority shares in the team.
The transaction was unanimously approved by the NHL's Board of Governors and means that Dundon now owns 100 percent of franchise.
"We are fortunate to have a passionate fan base that supports what we believe is a team that can compete every year for the Stanley Cup." said Tom Dundon. "That is the only option."
Dundon, 49, has been the chief executive officer, owner and governor of the Carolina Hurricanes since acquiring a majority stake in the franchise on Jan. 12, 2018. The Hurricanes have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of Dundon's three full seasons as owner, marking the first time the team has participated in the postseason in three consecutive years since arriving in North Carolina.
Today's transactions mark the first time that Peter Karmanos Jr. has not owned at least a minority share of the Hurricanes franchise since he first acquired the Hartford Whalers on June 28, 1994. Karmanos, a 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, relocated the Whalers to North Carolina in 1997 and was principal owner and chief executive officer when the team captured the Stanley Cup in 2006.
"Pete has had a tremendous impact on the sport of hockey in the United States since the 1970s," said Dundon. "His vision laid the groundwork for the success we now enjoy in Raleigh, and his legacy will always remain a part of this organization.
"We are also grateful for the efforts of the Hurricanes Holdings minority investors who provided important support to the franchise over the years."
In player news, Dougie Hamilton is making headlines. No, he didn't sign a contract extension--although that would be great news. Instead, Hamilton notched his first (or is it his second?) career all-star game nomination on Tuesday.
It's the second-straight bittersweet all-star honor for Hamilton, who was selected for the 2020 all-star game but was unavailable due to a broken leg suffered in January 2020 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jaccob Slavin deputized for his defensive partner--and won the shooting accuracy competition for good measure.
Unlike Hamilton's 2020 nod, this year's selection is official, but it comes with a catch: there was no all-star game this season. So Hamilton probably becomes the first player ever to be nominated twice but never to play in an all-star game.
Alex Nedeljkovic didn't win the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie (that honor went to Kirill Kaprizov). Yet, Nedeljkovic did get something else: a place on the all-rookie team of the all-star game. Similar to Hamilton, Nedeljkovic won't get to partake in the typical all-star weekend, but it's still a great honor and one that will surely stay with the 25-year-old Parma, Ohio native.
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