It’s now officially one year since Tom Dundon bought 61% of the team from Peter Karmanos. Let’s take a look back at that year and grade the changes he has brought and the changes he continues to look to make.
On January 11th 2018 Thomas Dundon, an eccentric, tracksuit-wearing billionaire best known for creating the entertainment mecca known as Top Golf, purchased 61% the Carolina Hurricanes and became the majority owner. The first year of his ownership rocked a lot of what revolved around the Carolina Hurricanes and even the National Hockey league. Some of the changes were good, some were not so great, and there are more on the way. Lets break down these changes and see how the era of Tom Dundon began.
Dundon didn’t wait long to start putting his stamp on this team. Well before he signed on to be the owner he began watching the team and becoming invested. He followed the team on their road trips and watched game after game. He continues to do so whenever he is in town. This gave him the concept of what being a fan of this team is like. The fun wins. The last-second heart thrashing moments of close games. The lost opportunities. He experienced it all as the team fell from grace last season after he completed the purchase.
If the Carolina Hurricanes and its fanbase were the empire of Rome, Tom Dundon is Julius Caesar. He has taken it upon himself to be the First Citizen, or in this case, The First Fan. It didn’t take long for him to start implementing changes that effected everyone, from the fans to the players to management. Not unlike Caesar, there are many that question his motives and his honesty. There are several moves and decisions that have caused him to come under that scrutiny.
Is he trying to create a dictatorship over the team and its operations, all in the name of making a buck? Or is he truthfully making his decisions based on the recommendations of the support staff and leadership within the organization? Only time will truly tell. For now, all we can judge and grade are the actions he has taken and the results of those actions, as well as the promises made and the ones he has kept or yet to fulfill.
This will be a three part series released over the course of the next month. Make sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming iterations. Part One will discuss fan interactions as well as how he has influenced the Promotions and Marketing Teams. Part Two will dive into how he has changed the in-game experiences as well as discuss his hiring decisions. Part Three will speak to how the on-ice performance has, or hasn’t, changed in the last year and conclude on a final grade for the maverick businessman from Texas.