Harold Ballard Harold E . Ballard ( July 30 , 1903 – April 11 , 1990 ) was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as well as their home arena , Maple Leaf Gardens . A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957 , he became part - owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February 1972 until his death . He was also the owner of the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) for 11 seasons , and won a Grey Cup championship as team owner in 1986 . He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame ( 1977 ) and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame ( 1987 ) . Early years . Ballard was born in Toronto , Ontario , Canada as Edwin Harold Ballard . He later reversed the names and referred to himself as Harold E . Ballard . For six years before World War I , Ballard and his family lived in Norristown , Pennsylvania . They returned to Toronto where his father , Sidney Eustace Ballard , founded Ballard Machinery Supplies Co . , a sewing machine manufacturer , which at one point was one of Canada ' s leading manufacturers of ice skates ( it got out of the business in the early 1930s , when the Canadian skate market was dominated by CCM ) . Harold attended Upper Canada College as a boarding student until dropping out in his third year in 1919 . Ballard became a fan of speed skating and would attend skating events and hockey games , helping to promote the Ballard skates . For the 1928 Winter Olympics in St . Moritz , Switzerland , Ballard was appointed assistant manager of the Toronto Varsity Grads team that won the gold medal . As a member of the National Yacht Club , Ballard became an avid racer of Sea Fleas , small outboard hydroplanes . He competed in several regattas , and won the Toronto - Oakville marathon in 1929 . Ballard was elected to the NYC ' s executive committee in January 1930 . He participated in the 133 - mile Albany - New York City marathon in April 1930 , finishing second in his class . About a month later , Ballard and two friends from the NYC were hurled from a boat into a frigid Lake Ontario . Ballard was pulled from the water unconscious , but one of his friends died . None of the three was wearing a life jacket . Hockey coach and manager . Following the 1930 racing season , the NYC sponsored a senior team in the Ontario Hockey Association called the Toronto National Sea Fleas . Ballard was made business manager . Under coach Harry Watson , the team won the Allan Cup in 1932 . Watson chose not to return the following season , and Ballard took over the coaching duties . At first , the players welcomed Ballard behind the bench , but the mood soon changed , particularly after Ballard benched the team captain . That triggered a mutiny among some of the team ' s top players , who resigned from the squad in November . The team had a poor year with Ballard coaching , but Ballard arranged a European tour for the Nationals which included competing in the 1933 Ice Hockey World Championships in Prague . There , the Nationals lost 2 – 1 in overtime to a team from the U . S . — the first loss for a Canadian team at the world championships . While touring Europe , the Nationals were involved in several fights , both on the ice and off . In one incident , Ballard was arrested in Paris following a fracas at a hotel . The tour marked the end of Ballard ' s career as a full - time hockey coach . In 1934 , Ballard became manager of the West Toronto Nationals OHA junior team and hired Leaf captain Hap Day as coach . When Day was busy with the Leafs and unavailable for games , Ballard would step behind the bench as acting coach . Under Day and Ballard , the Nationals won the Memorial Cup at the end of the 1935 – 36 season . The following season , Day and Ballard worked together to run a senior team sponsored by E . P . Taylor ' s Dominion Brewery ( the Toronto Dominions ) . After Day became coach of the Leafs in 1940 , he recommended Ballard to the Leaf organization to run the Toronto Marlboros , the senior and junior teams owned by the Leafs . Ballard was made president and general manager . He would coach one more game , for the senior Marlboros , during the 1950 Allan Cup final , after head coach Joe Primeau ' s father died . The Marlboros lost the game but won the series and the championship . In the early 1950s , Ballard hired his long - time friend Stafford Smythe , son of Leafs owner Conn Smythe , as managing director of the Marlboros . The team won the Memorial Cup in 1955 — their first championship in 26 years — and repeated the feat the following season . Joins the Maple Leafs . In 1957 , Ballard moved up to the Maple Leafs as a member of a committee chaired by Stafford Smythe which oversaw hockey operations after Conn Smythe stepped down as general manager and Hap Day was pushed out of the Leafs organization . Ballard wasn ' t initially named to the committee when it was unveiled in March 1957 , but took the place of Ian Johnston nine months later . At age 54 , Ballard was the oldest member of the group , which were otherwise all in their 30s and 40s . The committee came to be known as the " Silver Seven " . Partner in Leafs ownership group . In November 1961 , Conn Smythe sold most of his shares in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd . to a consortium including Stafford Smythe and the " Toronto Telegram " owner , John Bassett . Ballard fronted Stafford Smythe most of the money for the purchase . Conn Smythe later claimed that he had no knowledge of Ballard and Bassett being partners , but it is very unlikely that Stafford could have acquired the millions he needed to buy the Leafs on his own . As he played a key role in the purchase , Ballard was named executive vice president of Maple Leaf Gardens , alternate governor of the Maple Leafs and chairman of the team ' s hockey committee . He played a key role in the Leaf dynasty of the 1960s , winning Stanley Cup s in 1962 , 1963 , 1964 and 1967 . However , Ballard soon began displaying tendencies that would eventually make him arguably the worst owner in NHL history . Just after the advent of color television in Canada , the Maple Leafs installed a new lighting system . While it provided a clearer picture for fans , it caused a very sharp glare that distracted players . Ballard ' s solution was to make the CBC pay for the upgrade . When Hockey Night in Canada ' s president , Ted Hough , balked at Ballard ' s demands just before a broadcast , Ballard grabbed a fireman ' s ax and threatened to cut the TV cable unless Hough agreed to pay . Hough relented , and the broadcast went on as scheduled . Ballard ' s greatest influence in this period was not on the ice , but on the financial performance of Maple Leaf Gardens . Within three years under the new owners , profits at the Gardens had tripled to just under $ 1 million . He negotiated lucrative deals to place advertising throughout the building , and greatly increased the number of seats in the Gardens . To make room for more seats , Ballard removed a large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from the Gardens . When asked about it , Ballard replied " She doesn ' t pay me , I pay her . Besides , what the hell position can a queen play ? " He also expanded the number of concerts , entertainment acts , and conventions booked in the building . . In 1969 , Ballard and Stafford Smythe were charged with tax evasion and accused of using Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd . to pay for their personal expenses . Bassett , who had by this time become chairman of the board , received the support of the board of directors in an 8 – 7 vote to fire Smythe and Ballard . However , Bassett did not force Smythe and Ballard to sell out , and both men remained on the board . This was a serious blunder ; Smythe and Ballard controlled almost half the company ' s shares between them . They were thus able to stage a proxy war a year later and regain control of the board . Ballard was reappointed as executive vice president . Facing an untenable situation , Bassett sold his shares to Ballard and Stafford Smythe in September 1971 and resigned as chairman of the board . Just six weeks later , Smythe died . At age 68 , he became the majority owner of the Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens , and installed himself as president and chairman of the board . Leafs under Ballard ' s sole ownership . Criminal trial and the Summit Series . Shortly after taking control of the Leafs , Ballard stood trial on 28 counts of fraud involving $ 82 , 000 , 21 counts of theft involving $ 123 , 000 , and tax evasion . He was accused by the government of using funds from Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd . to pay for renovations to his home and cottage , to rent limousines for his daughter ' s wedding in 1967 , and to buy motorcycles for his sons ( passing off the expense as hockey equipment for the Marlboros ) , as well as placing money belonging to the corporation into a private bank account that he controlled along with Stafford Smythe . Ballard pleaded not guilty to all charges . At the same time , Hockey Canada and the NHL Players Association had negotiated an agreement to hold an eight - game tournament between Canadian professional hockey players and the top players from the Soviet Union . The tournament would become known as the Summit Series . Just as Ballard ' s trial was beginning , he told Hockey Canada that they were welcome to use any member of the Leafs on the Canadian team , could use Maple Leaf Gardens for their training camp , and could use the building for any or all of the games in the series , with the Gardens ' share of the gate receipts being donated to the NHL players ' pension fund . Ballard then partnered with long - time rival Alan Eagleson and Eagleson ' s client , Bobby Orr to get the television rights to the series — which would be used to benefit Hockey Canada and the players ' union . At no time before or after his trial did Ballard show any interest in being associated with Eagleson or in having members of the Leafs play the Soviets , and the move was widely seen to be a means to generate favourable public relations . At the conclusion of the series , Ballard sent a bill to Hockey Canada for use of the building . In August , just weeks before the series began , Ballard was convicted on 47 counts of fraud and grand theft . Two months later , he was sentenced to nine years in a federal penitentiary . After a brief stay at Kingston Penitentiary , he was moved to a minimum - security facility that was part of Millhaven Institution . During a three - day pass , he told reporters that inmates at Millhaven received steak dinners every day - - sparking nationwide outrage and a debate in Parliament . He finished his sentence at a half - way house in Toronto , and was paroled in October 1973 after serving a third of his sentence . Team Management . Ballard was a very hands - on owner who quickly became known for being irascible and cantankerous . He tried to micromanage the team , interfering with coaches and players . Soon after taking over as majority owner , he forced out several longtime front - office personnel and replaced them with his own men . For example , he cut the salary of chief scout and former Leafs star Bob Davidson by almost two - thirds , forcing Davidson to resign . Davidson had served in the Leafs organization for almost 40 years in various capacities . Ballard ' s opposition to European players was so virulent that a Leafs scout used Ballard ' s time in jail to sign Börje Salming , one of the NHL ' s first great European players . After Ballard took control during the 1971 – 72 season , one of the first challenges he faced was the creation of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) as a competitor to the NHL . At the time , NHL teams relied on the reserve clause to keep players from jumping to other teams in the league , but the clause couldn ' t prevent players from leaving the NHL to join a different league . At the end of the 1971 – 72 season , the Leafs only had three players signed to contracts for the next season : Rick Kehoe and veterans Jacques Plante and Bobby Baun . But Ballard did not take the unproven WHA seriously as a competitor and so was outbid on the services of several players in the Leafs organization . The biggest loss was goaltender Bernie Parent , a superstar in the making , who was offered a WHA contract with financial terms far beyond what Ballard was prepared to match . Along with Parent , Rick Ley , Jim Harrison , Brad Selwood , and Guy Trottier all left the Leafs for the WHA before the 1972 – 73 season , as did some minor league prospects in the Leafs ' system as well as the team ' s minor league coach , Marcel Pronovost . Paul Henderson and Mike Pelyk followed a year later . The players who stayed could use the threat of joining the WHA to negotiate better contracts , and Ballard always blamed the WHA for inflating players ' salaries . Ballard never forgave the WHA for this , and became the leader of the hardline faction of NHL owners who opposed any merger with the upstart league . With the formation of the WHA ' s Toronto Toros , Ballard deliberately made the lease terms at Maple Leaf Gardens as onerous as possible . The Toros were owned by John F . Bassett , the son of Ballard ' s former partner in the ownership of the Leafs , John Bassett . The Toros ' lease with Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd . called for them to pay $ 15 , 000 per game , which was negotiated by Ballard ' s son Bill while the elder Ballard was in jail . However , by the time the Toros played their first game , Ballard had regained control of the Gardens . Much to the younger Bassett ' s outrage , the arena was dim for the first game . It was then that Ballard demanded $ 3 , 500 for use of the lights . Ballard also denied the Toros access to the Leafs ' locker room , forcing them to build their own at a cost of $ 55 , 000 . He also removed the cushions from the home bench for Toros ' games ( he told an arena worker , " Let ' em buy their own cushions ! " ) . These demands forced the Toros to move to Birmingham , Alabama . When the NHL finally did take in four WHA teams after the 1978 – 79 season , Ballard refused to support the deal . He was not only angry at how the WHA had decimated his roster earlier in the decade , but also wasn ' t enamored at the prospect of reduced television revenue . The WHA had insisted on bringing in all three of its surviving Canadian teams , meaning revenue from CBC telecasts now had to be split six ways rather than three . At the time Ballard took over , the Leafs ' captain was Dave Keon , who had been with the team since 1960 . Ballard and Keon never got along , and when Keon ' s contract expired in 1975 , Ballard let it be known that Keon had no place on the team . However , he insisted on receiving compensation for Keon , and set the price so high that potential suitors shied away , which in effect had prevented Keon from joining another NHL team . Keon was forced to move to the WHA ' s Minnesota Fighting Saints . In 1980 , when Keon received an offer from the soon - to - be dynasty New York Islanders , Ballard still owned Keon ' s NHL rights and blocked that deal , forcing Keon to finish off his career with the mediocre Hartford Whalers as the WHA was absorbed into the NHL . Keon never forgave Ballard for how he had been treated , and it was more than 20 years before he was reconciled with the Leafs . Relationship with Sittler . Ballard ' s desire to control players and their salaries also put him at odds with Alan Eagleson , executive director of the NHL Players Association and a player agent whose clients included Keon ' s successor as captain , Darryl Sittler . Ballard had once called Sittler " the son I never had " , but relations between the two took a turn for the worse with Sittler ' s increasing prominence in the NHLPA . Around that time , the Leafs had made it as far as the conference finals in 1978 , losing to the two - time defending champions Montreal Canadiens , but Ballard was criticized for not spending the extra money to take the team over the top ( see below ) . During the 1978 – 79 NHL season , Ballard fired and then rehired coach Roger Neilson , which saw Sittler lobby on the players ' behalf for Neilson ' s reinstatement . An apocryphal tale suggested that Ballard tried to make Neilson wear a paper bag over his head behind the bench . In July 1979 , Ballard brought his longtime friend , former Leafs coach and general manager Punch Imlach , back to the organization as general manager . Imlach was as staunchly anti - union as Ballard ; during his first stint in Toronto , he had been one of Eagleson ' s most ardent foes . With Ballard ' s support , Imlach moved to dismantle the roster and undermine Sittler ' s influence , despite many analysts viewing the team as having a promising future . Sittler was apparently untouchable as he had a no - trade clause in his contract and , through his agent Eagleson , had insisted on $ 500 , 000 to waive it . When the Leafs traded Sittler ' s close friend Lanny McDonald to the moribund Colorado Rockies on December 29 1979 , a member of the Leafs anonymously told the " Toronto Star " that Leafs management would " do anything to get at Sittler " and was bent on undermining the captain ' s influence on the team . Angry teammates trashed their dressing room in response , while Sittler ripped the captain ' s " C " off his sweater , later commenting that a captain had to be the go - between with players and management , and he no longer had any communication with management . Ballard would liken Sittler ' s actions to burning the Canadian flag . Eagleson called the trade " a classless act . " Through the summer of 1980 , Ballard insisted that Sittler would not be back with the Leafs . As Imlach was preparing to trade Sittler to the Quebec Nordiques , he had a heart attack in August and was hospitalized . Ballard used the opportunity to name himself acting general manager and hold talks with Sittler , and the two agreed that Sittler would return to the team for the 1980 – 81 season . Both men appeared together at a news conference described as " all smiles and buddy - buddy " . to announce that Sittler would be at training camp , with the " C " back on his sweater which meant that he was reassuming the role of team captain . Ballard told the press that the real battle had been between Imlach and Eagleson , and Sittler just got caught in the crossfire . Ballard also signed Börje Salming to a new contract with terms that Imlach had refused to offer . Ballard remained as " de facto " general manager even when Imlach recovered . In September 1981 , after Imlach had another heart attack , Ballard told the media that Imlach ' s poor health meant that " he ' s through as general manager " . Imlach was never officially fired , but when he tried to return to his office in November , he found that his parking spot at Maple Leaf Gardens had been reassigned and Gerry McNamara had been made acting general manager . Imlach never returned to work and his contract was allowed to expire . Though Imlach was gone , Sittler ' s relationship with the Leafs worsened again in the 1981 – 82 season . At the end of November 1981 , Sittler told Ballard and acting general manager Gerry McNamara that he would waive his no - trade clause if he was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers or the Minnesota North Stars . In the first week of December , Eagleson agreed to terms with Flyers ' owner Ed Snider and North Stars ' general manager Lou Nanne . But it took another seven weeks for the Leafs to make a deal . During that time , Sittler added the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders to the list of teams he could be traded to . On January 5 , 1982 , on advice from his physician , Sittler walked out on the Leafs , saying he was " mentally depressed " because a trade was taking so long to complete . Finally , on January 20 , 1982 , the 31 - year - old Sittler was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Rich Costello plus the Hartford Whalers ' second - round pick in the 1982 draft ( used by the Leafs to select Peter Ihnačák ) , and future considerations , which ended up being Ken Strong . Only Ihnacak would play regularly for the Leafs . The irony was that in 1980 , Imlach had rejected an offer from the Philadelphia Flyers , who were said to be willing to trade Rick MacLeish and André Dupont for Sittler . 1980s . The McDonald trade sent the Leafs into a downward spiral . The team did not post a winning record again until after Ballard ' s death , going a franchise - record 13 consecutive seasons without a winning record . The low point came in 1984 – 85 , when the Leafs finished the season with the worst record in the league , 32 games below . 500 . They nearly duplicated that dubious achievement in 1987 – 88 , ending the season one point up on the last - place Minnesota North Stars . Many players refused even to consider playing for the Leafs because of Ballard ' s reputation . Off the ice , the Maple Leafs under Ballard were one of the league ' s most financially successful teams . However , this was because Ballard routinely kept the Leafs ' payroll among the lowest in the league , despite playing in the fourth - largest market . Ballard had little financial incentive to spend money on star players to improve the quality of the on - ice product and attract fans , as all games were sold out regardless of how poorly the Leafs played . Even so , many Leafs fans consider the Ballard era to be the darkest period in team history . Indeed , the Leafs only had six winning seasons in Ballard ' s 18 - plus seasons as majority owner , and never finished above third in their division . Maple Leaf Gardens under Ballard . After Ballard ' s release from prison , he had an apartment built at the Gardens facing Church Street where he would live through most of the year , while spending summers at his cottage in Midland , Ontario . The storied arena fell into disrepair during Ballard ' s tenure . For example , when the roof leaked , he did little more than order plastic sheets to catch the rainwater . Incidents with media . Toronto newspaper columnist and radio broadcaster had many run - ins with Ballard . It was Hunt that gave Harold Ballard the nickname Pal Hal , which would be the title of Dick Beddoes biography about Ballard . The first notable incident with Ballard took place as a rebuttal towards Hunt ’ s comments about the Toronto Maple Leafs . Ballard went on the air after the next Maple Leafs game and called Hunt a bastard . He then told TV host Dave Hodge that his comments were about someone who ’ s last name starts with one of the first three letters of the alphabet . Hodge responded by saying Jim Bunt . Ballard responded by saying the name started with the letter C . When Hunt worked for the " Toronto Sun " newspaper , Hunt was asked to attend Harold Ballard ’ s 85th birthday . The birthday was on July 30 , 1988 and held at Ballard ’ s cottage in Thunder Bay . Hunt attended the party with a female photographer called Veronica Milne . Hunt and Milne got lost on the way to the party and arrived an hour late . Upon their arrival , Ballard responded by saying , “ Hunt , I know why you ’ re late . You were humping her in the back seat of the car . ” On March 5 , 1979 , Ballard was interviewed by Barbara Fram for CBC radio . He offended many Canadians when he stated that women on the radio are a joke and implies that the best position for them is on their backs . In the 1980 ' s , Ballard also banned female reporters from the Maple Leaf Gardens locker room unless they undressed first . In addition , male reporters were banned from the locker room . His is the only team in the NHL without an open locker room and one of the few in professional sports . In February 1987 , reporters in Toronto entered the Maple Leafs ' locker room after a game with the Kings . Ballard went into an angry tirade and ordered security to remove the reporters . Supporters . Ballard was well - known for his charitable activities , and even leased out MLG for many functions . He was recognized for this on his citation during his 1977 Hockey Hall of Fame induction . However , as Ken Dryden put it in his book " The Game " , he seemed " like [ a ] wrestling villain who touches the audience to make his next villainy seem worse . " Dave " Tiger " Williams who played with the Leafs from 1973 to 1980 had a close relationship with Ballard . Years later , Williams would remark that all Ballard would want from his players was an honest day of hard work . In gratitude , Williams shot a bear during a winter hunt and skinned it for Ballard ' s office . Personal life . According to Ballard ' s lawyer , his estate was worth less than $ 50 million . Most of the money was left to a charitable foundation . Ballard left his personal belongings to his children and grandchildren . Ballard ' s three children had all previously received shares in Maple Leaf Gardens that they sold for more than $ 15 million each . The executors of Ballard ' s will were Steve Stavro , Don Giffin and Don Crump . In 1991 , Stavro paid off a $ 20 million loan that had been made to Ballard in 1980 by Molson . In return , he was given an option to buy Maple Leaf Gardens shares from Ballard ' s estate . Molson also agreed to sell its stake in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd . to Stavro . That deal closed in 1994 , and shortly after Stavro bought Ballard ' s shares from the estate for $ 34 a share or $ 75 million . The purchase was the subject of a securities commission review and a lawsuit from Ballard ' s son Bill , but the deal stood and Stavro and his partners in MLG Ventures became the new owner of the Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens .