Mason, Karmanos, Weight to be inducted into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

By Michael Caples –

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2013 today, and three prominent members of Michigan’s hockey community were included on the list.

Former Michigan State and Lake Superior State coach Ron Mason, Plymouth Whalers owner Peter Karmanos Jr., and former NHL All-Star Doug Weight were named to this year’s class of inductees.

“This is an extraordinary class that each have contributed in a remarkable fashion to the advancement of our sport,” said USA Hockey president Ron DeGregorio. “It’s a truly remarkable collection of individuals, all so very deserving of earning the pinnacle of accomplishment in hockey in the U.S.”

The trio, along with women’s hockey star Cindy Curley and former NHL All-Star Bill Guerin, will be inducted into the Hall later this year – more information will be released sometime this summer.

Ron Mason

Mason won 924 college hockey games in his 36-year span of serving as a head coach. He started his career at Lake Superior State University in 1966, and led the Lakers to a NAIA national championship in 1972. The next season, Mason took over the Bowling Green State University program, before moving to Michigan State in 1979. In East Lansing, he built MSU into a perennial contender, and he led the Spartans to a national title in 1986. Under Mason, 22 teams reached the NCAA Tournament, 10 teams captured CCHA regular-season titles, 13 teams won CCHA post-season championships, and two players won the Hobey Baker Award (Kip and Ryan Miller). Mason was an architect of the CCHA in 1972, was named the American Hockey Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 1992, and he served on both the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee and NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee during his career. Upon retiring from coaching, Mason served as MSU’s athletic director from 2002-07.

Peter Karmanos, Jr.

Karmanos, Jr., the CEO of Compuware Corporation, has long played an important role in the growth of hockey both in Michigan and beyond. The Plymouth Whalers’ owner also owns the Carolina Hurricanes and the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, helping spread hockey to nontraditional markets. Yet he has never forgot about his Michigan roots; the Detroit native’s company is the sponsor of the Compuware hockey association – one of the top AAA programs in the entire country. Karmanos received USA Hockey’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2012, and in 1998, the NHL presented him with the Lester Patrick Award for his outstanding service to the game.

Doug Weight

Weight played 19 seasons in the NHL, skating for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders. The Warren native spent two seasons at Lake Superior State (1989-91) before heading to New York to skate with the team that drafted him 34th overall. Weight captured the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006, and recorded 278 goals and 755 assists during his storied career. He was recognized for his work off the ice in 2011, when he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian efforts. Weight skated in three Olympic Winter Games (1998, 2002, 2006), and his 14 assists and 19 points in the 1991 IIHF World Junior Championship is still a Team USA record.

See the full USA Hockey release right here.

More to come…