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Founded in the mid-1970’s by Compuware CEO and President, Peter Karmanos and partner Thomas Thewes, the Compuware Youth Hockey Program was formed with the goal of providing a local program where young players could develop to the height of their potential.
The crown jewel of the Compuware program was the Junior A Ambassadors. Previously competing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the Junior A program was met with unbridled success not only in recent years, but throughout its storied past. The 2001-2002 Team accomplished every one of their pre-season goals by winning the regular season crown, the Robertson Cup and the Gold Cup national championship.
To date Detroit Compuware has also placed over 170 Compuware graduates into the Major Junior or Division I college hockey via scholarship. In addition to the aforementioned accomplishments the Compuware alumni list of players who have reached the NHL continues to swell including such notables as Eric Lindros, Pat Peake, Pat LaFontaine, James Wisniewski, Brian Rolston, Mike Madano and David Legwand just to name a few. As time went on, Karmanos and Thewes expanded the Compuware Hockey Program to include the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Windsor Compuware Spitfires from 1983-89 and then an expansion franchise for Detroit in the OHL known as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. The Ambassadors – who started play in 1990 – moved to Plymouth in 1996 and are currently known as the Plymouth Whalers.
The Whalers currently have the longest active streak of any OHL team to make the playoffs, having missed only post season play in just their first expansion year of 1990-91. The Whalers won the OHL league titles in 1995 and again in 2007. Over 80 Whalers have been selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft while the current alumni still playing in the NHL ranks include Chris Thorburn (Atlanta), Chad LaRose (Carolina), Jared Boll (Columbus), James Neal (Dallas), Gregory Campbell & Stephen Weiss (Florida), David Legwand (Nashville), John Mitchell (Toronto), Justin Williams (Carolina), James Wisniewski (Chicago) and Paul Mara (New York Rangers).
With the success of the Compuware Youth Hockey Program and the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers, Karmanos and Thewes expanded their hockey roots further to include the National Hockey League’s Hartford Whalers in 1994. They have since moved the team to become the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997 while adding the East Coast Hockey’s Florida Everblades later in 1997. The Carolina Hurricanes have continued their NHL success by winning their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2006.
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