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46-536: The Detroit Compuware Hockey organization was founded in the mid 1970s by Compuware owner/president Peter Karmanos and his partner Thomas Thewes . The organization grew to include all age levels of hockey including Junior 'A'. The Junior 'A 'team competed in the North American Hockey League . Some of its alumni include Eric Lindros , Pat LaFontaine , Mike Modano , Al Iafrate , David Legwand , Derian Hatcher and Doug Weight . The program

92-694: A major upset, taking a three-games-to-one lead in the series after a 5-3 victory over Niagara Falls March 19. But the Thunder came back to win the final three games of the series, including game seven in Niagara Falls, 7-2. After their second season was completed, the Compuware Ambassadors were renamed Detroit Junior Red Wings. Seven players from the Compuware Ambassadors OHL team went on to NHL careers. Pat Peake

138-638: A new study for a bridge in 1889, but no bridge was approved. Finally, the Michigan Central built the Detroit River Tunnel in 1909–10 to carry trains under the river. This tunnel benefited the Michigan Central and Great Western railroads, but the Canada Southern Railway and other lines still preferred a bridge over the river. Plans for a bridge were revived in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I and to honor

184-555: A proposal to build a second span of the Ambassador Bridge (which he would own) instead. Critics suggest that Moroun's opposition was fueled by the prospect of lost profits from duty-free gasoline sales, which are exempt from about 60 cents per gallon in taxes even though the pump price to consumers is only a few cents lower. On May 5, 2011, a judge dismissed the case, citing a lack of reasoning for it to proceed. Moroun and his Detroit International Bridge Company contended that

230-526: A railroad bridge over the river. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commissioned a study of a bridge over the Detroit River. Representatives of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes opposed any bridge with piers in the river as a hazard to navigation. Discussions continued for the remainder of the decade to no avail; a bridge over the Detroit River was not approved. The U.S. Congress requested

276-475: A row to start the season, Detroit won 7 of its next 9 games to enter November winning half their games. Although the Ambassadors were much improved, Rutherford decided to make a coaching change November 30 after a 7-5 loss in Niagara Falls. Coach Andy Weidenbach was let go. Detroit stood 11-16-0 at the time. Jim Rutherford moved behind the bench to coach the rest of the season. Rutherford played 13 seasons in

322-533: Is made up of 21,000 short tons (19,000 tonnes ) of steel, and the roadway rises as high as 152 feet (46 m) above the Detroit River. Only the main span over the river is supported by suspension cables; the approaches to the main pillars are held up by steel in a cantilever truss structure. The bridge's only sidewalk is on the structure's southwest side. After the September 11 attacks , pedestrians and bicycles were prohibited from traveling across

368-846: The Detroit International Bridge Company in the United States and the Canadian Transit Company in Canada. In 1979, when the previous owners put it on the New York Stock Exchange and shares were traded, Moroun was able to buy shares, eventually acquiring the bridge. The bridge carries 60 to 70 percent of commercial truck traffic in the region. Moroun also owned the Ammex Detroit duty-free stores at both

414-683: The Detroit River had the longest suspended central span in the world when it was completed in 1929—1,850 feet (560 m). This record held until the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey opened in 1931. The bridge's total length is 7,500 feet (2,286 m). Construction began in 1927 and was completed in 1929. The general contractor and steel erector was the McClintic-Marshall Company of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . The bridge

460-754: The Gateway Project . These improvements would normally be under the control of the state government; however, the Detroit International Bridge Company withheld the improvements as part of a negotiation strategy. At one point, Matty Moroun and his chief deputy at the Detroit International Bridge Co, Dan Stamper, were jailed for non-compliance with orders to complete the on-ramps. After years of legal battles, activism by local people against neighborhood truck traffic, and stalling by Matty Moroun,

506-673: The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) took over the I-75/I-96 on-ramp project and opened the ramps in September 2012 after a six-month construction period. One possible motive for the Gateway Project delays was Moroun's desire to route traffic past his lucrative duty-free store and fuel pumps, one of only two border locations to sell untaxed fuel (the other is International Falls, Minnesota ). Critics of

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552-546: The Owen Sound Platers at Cobo Arena October 4, 1990. After a 3-game win streak, the Ambassadors would drop 11 straight games. Despite the losing, there were some bright lights. First overall draft pick Pat Peake with 39 goals & 51 assists was the team's offensive leader, figuring in over 40 percent of the team's goals. Despite finishing last overall in the OHL their first season, the Ambassadors executives stuck to

598-768: The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds . Failing which, Karmanos chose the route of an expansion team. The Detroit Compuware Ambassadors were granted as an expansion franchise in the Ontario Hockey League on December 11, 1989. Detroit became the first American-based team in the league. Andy Weidenbach was named the team's first coach. Following Karmanos to Detroit from the Windsor Compuware Spitfires would be team president Jim Rutherford and general manager Tony McDonald. Detroit lost its first seven games before posting its first victory, 7-3 over

644-532: The Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area. In 1992, the company completed its initial public offering (IPO) and traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol CPWR. At the end of 1998, Compuware surpassed the $ 1 billion revenue mark. In 2003, Compuware moved their headquarters from Farmington Hills, Michigan to a new headquarters building in downtown Detroit . In November 2014, the company's headquarters building

690-443: The information technology (IT) departments of large businesses, and its services also included testing, development, automation and performance management software for programs running on mainframe computer systems. In 1973, Peter Karmanos Jr. , Thomas Thewes , and Allen B. Cutting established Compuware Corporation to provide clients with professional technical services. By 1978, Compuware opened its first remote office to service

736-415: The money and ran off, before ultimately committing suicide in a prison cell after conviction for murdering a drugstore clerk. The bridge boosters turned to New Yorker Joseph A. Bower, a businessman who specialized in rescuing mismanaged companies. Bower succeeded in raising the necessary initial $ 12 million. "The only way things can be done today, is by private business," said Henry Ford , who backed

782-512: The "youth of Canada and the United States who served in the Great War". However neither Ontario nor Michigan wanted to finance a river crossing. Michigan automakers subsequently decided to take the initiative to connect the Midwest to central Canada . After they created a bridge company, the project got into trouble when a Toronto financier hired to sell its securities instead embezzled

828-601: The Ambassador Bridge was impeded by protesters during the Freedom Convoy 2022 protests in Canada. Protesters at the bridge blockaded it on February 7. On the evening of February 7, traffic at the bridge came to a complete halt. The blockade continued into February 8. On the morning of February 8, officials declared the bridge reopened, but the blockade later resumed, pushing trips to the Blue Water Bridge between Sarnia and Port Huron . The bridge over

874-626: The Ambassadors' one season at Cobo, maintenance crews would shuttle zambonis between Cobo Arena and Joe Louis Arena by driving them along the riverfront down Atwater Street. For the 1991–92 season, the Ambassadors played home games at Joe Louis Arena , the same home arena as the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL . Compuware Compuware Corporation was an American software company based in Detroit . The company offered products aimed at

920-670: The Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) commission. The new bridge further downriver between Detroit and Windsor will be owned and operated by the Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority , a Crown corporation owned by the Canadian federal government. Manuel Moroun , owner of the Ambassador Bridge until his death in 2020, spoke out against this proposal. He sued the governments of Canada and Michigan to stop its construction, and released

966-538: The Detroit River and leaving four workers dangling from safety harnesses. Jamie Barker, one of the workers who fell into the water, died. An engineer, George Snowden, was disciplined by Professional Engineers Ontario for his role in the collapse; in 2012, a design that Snowden approved caused the Radiohead stage collapse in Toronto. Snowden's associate Domenic Cugliari was also involved in both collapses. Access to

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1012-539: The Michigan IFTA refund, as the tax was never paid. In a 2012 lawsuit, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development sued Moroun's company, Ammex, claiming it mislabeled motorcar fuels to advertise 93 octane while tests showed as little as 91.2 octane. In 2015, Windsor city officials criticized the decaying appearance of the bridge and called attention to the hazard posed by crumbling concrete from its superstructure. In response, Matt Moroun accused

1058-509: The NHL as a goalie, spending most of his time with the Detroit Red Wings . Detroit finished with a record of 23-42-1. Pat Peake led the team in scoring again with 41 goals and 52 assists. Detroit made the last playoff spot in the Emms division finishing 7th place. Detroit bussed to Niagara Falls to start their first-ever playoff series against the second place Thunder. The Ambassadors nearly pulled off

1104-589: The United States and Canada by value. A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Detroit–Windsor region and US$ 13 billion in annual production depend on the Detroit–Windsor international border crossing. The bridge is one of the few privately owned US–Canada crossings; it was owned by Grosse Pointe billionaire Manuel Moroun , until his death in July 2020, through

1150-613: The bridge and the tunnel. The passage across the Detroit River became an important traffic route following the American Civil War . The Michigan Central and the Great Western railroads in addition to others operated on either side of the border connecting Chicago with the Atlantic Seaboard . To cross the Detroit River, these railroads operated ferries between docks on either side. The ferries lacked

1196-529: The bridge connects to busy city streets in west Windsor, leading to congestion. The privately owned bridge carries approximately 25% of trade between Canada and the United States. Transport Canada reported the following distribution for the five largest U.S.–Canada border crossings by trucks in 2011: The Canadian and United States governments have approved the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge proposed by

1242-524: The bridge due to increased security measures. For years prior to September 11, 2001, the sidewalk was closed due to ongoing maintenance projects and repainting. Originally painted gloss black, the bridge underwent a five-year refurbishment between 1995 and 2000, which included stripping and repainting the bridge teal . Granite blocks, originally used on the U.S. side, were given to the Windsor Parks and Recreation Department, and now grace many of

1288-401: The bridge opened, a Canadian immigration inspector jumped to his death. The bridge has been used by other suicide jumpers . After it opened, high divers considered it as a venue for a record; but after measurements of the height and currents were taken into account, they were dissuaded and abandoned the attempt. On November 14, 2000, a scaffold on the bridge collapsed, sending three men into

1334-489: The capacity to handle the shipping needs of the railroads, and there were often 700–1,000 freight cars waiting to cross the river, with numerous passengers delayed in transit. Warehouses in Chicago were forced to store grain that they could not ship to eastern markets and foreign goods were stored in eastern warehouses waiting shipment to the western United States. The net effect of these delays increased commodity prices in

1380-475: The country, and both merchants and farmers wanted a solution from the railroads. The Michigan Central proposed the construction of a tunnel under the river with the support of their counterparts at the Great Western Railway. Construction started in 1871 and continued until ventilating equipment failed the next year; work was soon abandoned. Attention turned in 1873 to the alternative of building

1426-427: The downriver Howe bridge, the final approach to the Ambassador Bridge remains on overcrowded Windsor surface streets. In 2007, the privately owned bridge company was granted a permit by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to build a new bridge across the Detroit River adjacent to the existing span. The permit expired in 2012. The U.S. Coast Guard issued the bridge company a permit in 2016 to construct

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1472-550: The duty-free fuel operation objected that sixty cents from each U.S. gallon went not to paving Michigan's underfunded highways but instead directly to Matty Moroun. Operators of large trucks under the International Fuel Tax Agreement , which in theory should impose Ontario tax and partially refund Michigan tax on fuel purchased in Detroit and consumed on Ontario's Highway 401, may be disqualified for

1518-465: The five year construction permit issued by Transport Canada expired. Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra noted that conversations between the federal government, the City of Windsor and the bridge company were "ongoing". The bridge's private ownership has been controversial as the bridge carries approximately 25% of trade between Canada and the United States. Although alternate routes exist, including

1564-544: The following acquisitions after going private in 2014, through its acquisition by BMC in 2020: Ambassador Bridge The Ambassador Bridge is an international suspension bridge across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan , United States, with Windsor, Ontario , Canada. Opened in 1929, the toll bridge is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume, carrying more than 25% of all merchandise trade between

1610-574: The future crossing as the Windsor–Essex Parkway) with I-75 and I-96 in Michigan, bypasses Windsor's surface streets and reduces congestion. A twin span adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge, by itself, does not address Canadian concerns about traffic on Huron Church Road in Windsor. While many of the stop lights commonly cited have been removed by the expansion of Highway 401 which will connect to

1656-521: The nearby Detroit–Windsor Tunnel , preventing monopoly status, the route is of significant value since it passes directly through major metropolitan areas. The aforementioned tunnel prohibits certain vehicles. In 2010 and 2011, the Wayne County Circuit Court found the Detroit International Bridge Company in contempt for failing to directly connect bridge access roads to I-75 and I-96, and making other required improvements as part of

1702-488: The new bridge would affect its proposal for a second span which would be built next to the Ambassador Bridge. Michigan and Canadian authorities continued to support the Gordie Howe International Bridge proposal, as it directly connects the Canadian E.C. Row Expressway and the 2015 extension of Ontario Highway 401 (which runs concurrently as a shared highway for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to

1748-526: The new span. As of 2021, construction cannot proceed until current bridge owner Matthew Moroun addresses a "conflict" with the bridge's permit issued for the Canadian side by Transport Canada in 2017. The Coast Guard permit was granted on the condition that the existing Ambassador Bridge would be retained and rehabilitated, while the Transport Canada permit was granted on the condition that the existing bridge would be dismantled and removed. In 2022,

1794-553: The pathways in Windsor parks. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing on the Canada–United States border . The four-lane bridge carries more than 10,000 commercial vehicles on a typical weekday. The Gateway Project , a major redesign of the U.S. plaza completed in July 2009, provides direct access to Interstate 96 (I-96) and I-75 on the American side and Ontario Highway 3 on the Canadian side. The Canadian end of

1840-502: The project. The bridge was constructed with investment from Detroit business people incorporated as the Detroit International Bridge Corporation. Much later Berkshire Hathaway acquired a quarter of the shares before selling to another investor in the company, local trucking entrepreneur Manuel Moroun . Moroun continued buying further, eventually privatizing it. In April 1930, shortly after

1886-583: The same plan that help bring success to the Spitfires. The Ambassadors earned the reputation as a physical team. Six different players would amass over 100 penalty minutes, including captain Paul Mitton (152 minutes). Detroit used its first overall draft pick in 1991 to select Todd Harvey . The Ambassadors also selected Ryan Sittler (2nd round) and Anson Carter (14th) in the same draft, but both elected to play collegiate hockey. After dropping five in

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1932-486: The silhouette of the Ambassador Bridge against the backdrop of downtown Detroit, surrounded by the words compuware in a circle, and the Ambassadors in front. For the 1990–91 season, the Ambassadors played home games at Cobo Arena . During the summer of 1991, Olympia Arenas Inc. decided maintaining ice surfaces at both Cobo Arena and Joe Louis Arena was too costly, so the plug was pulled on Cobo Arena. During

1978-594: Was acquired by BMC Software for $ 2 billion. Compuware ceased to exist as a company, but all of its products remain available under the name BMC Automated Mainframe Intelligence (BMC AMI). In October 2022, it was announced that BMC's Detroit office will return to the northwest suburbs of Detroit, moving from One Campus Martius downtown to the Southfield Town Center in nearby Southfield . Since 2014, Compuware (later BMC Compuware) has established multiple integrations and partnerships. Compuware made

2024-553: Was so successful that its owners endeavored to expand the Compuware Ambassador program to play at a higher level. Karmanos had previous experience in the OHL, owning the Windsor Spitfires team during the 1980s that won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1988. Karmanos sold the Spitfires in 1989 after a failed attempt to relocate the team across the river. Karmanos also failed in his bid to buy out and relocate

2070-502: Was sold to a joint venture of Dan Gilbert 's real estate group Bedrock Real Estate and Meridian Health for $ 142 million and renamed One Campus Martius. Later in the year in December, Compuware was acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo for approximately $ 2.5 billion, becoming a privately held company. In the years after that the company experienced a period of growth and reinvention of mainframe software. In March 2020, Compuware

2116-638: Was the first draft pick in the history of the Compuware Ambassadors franchise, and his #14 was retired by the Whalers organization. Peake was chosen 14th overall in the 1st round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals . Regular season Playoffs The Compuware Ambassadors colours were brown, orange & white. The home jerseys had a white background with brown & orange trim. The road jerseys were an orange background with white & brown trim. The logo displays

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