This week we were given the task of coming up with 1000 or
more words on stories. I’m Kyle Carr…. And welcome to a bit of an informative
recanting regarding a storied and historic franchise.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, an Original Six team still thriving in the NHL. Ownership has changed hands three times within the last decade and the team has not won the sports holy grail since 1967; 46 years and counting…. for those who are keeping track. Players complain of the media scrutiny being too intense; akin to what David Beckham experienced in his Premiere League days; from how Alex Rodriguez is currently experiencing his twilight playing years for the New York Yankees. That’s because playing in Toronto isn’t like playing in most cities in the NHL. Playing in Toronto, gives you certain liberties. For instance, you can suck at being a Toronto Maple Leaf. The Leafs have gone through stretches of good management throughout the last 40 years, but have endured several tumultuous stretches. The first cold streak occurred throughout most of the 1970’s when the team was owned by the now deceased Harrold Ballard. Harrold knew he could ice a terrible team, save on players’ salaries and still make his annual fiscal goals. Ballard was a greedyman, but many could only watch in awe as after declining to sign two stars in Darryl Sittler and Lanny Mcdonald, the team continued to sell out Maple Leaf Gardens on a regular basis. Ballard, a rather gluttonous and heinous figurehead in Toronto eventually passed on, but the evidence was there. The Leafs were a bonafide gold mine, immune to product quality effecting the off ice essentials; money raking.
Making money was good but eventually after the franchise changed hands, the Leafs brass thought it’d be good to focus on winning, and winning they did. The 90’s brought a new era of stars in Kingston native Doug Gilmour and fan favorite Wendel Clark. See although tons of money can be made for a team like the Leafs, it’s somewhat subsidized by things like players’ salaries. During the play off season, the teams that make it are not contractually obligated to continue paying players, this is due to players being paid similarly to teachers in that it’s weighted and distributed over the course of the regular season. This basically means that besides player bonus and incentives offered by the franchise; the deeper a run a team makes in the play offs, the deeper the pockets of team owners become. Teams spend currently between 40 million and 70 million annually on players’ salaries alone. For a team like the Maple Leafs, they spent near the ceiling every year and through this ice a decent team. The Leafs rolled this new wave of success to multiple play off runs built around a dream that this team could one day hoist the game Holy Grail, Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, an Original Six team still thriving in the NHL. Ownership has changed hands three times within the last decade and the team has not won the sports holy grail since 1967; 46 years and counting…. for those who are keeping track. Players complain of the media scrutiny being too intense; akin to what David Beckham experienced in his Premiere League days; from how Alex Rodriguez is currently experiencing his twilight playing years for the New York Yankees. That’s because playing in Toronto isn’t like playing in most cities in the NHL. Playing in Toronto, gives you certain liberties. For instance, you can suck at being a Toronto Maple Leaf. The Leafs have gone through stretches of good management throughout the last 40 years, but have endured several tumultuous stretches. The first cold streak occurred throughout most of the 1970’s when the team was owned by the now deceased Harrold Ballard. Harrold knew he could ice a terrible team, save on players’ salaries and still make his annual fiscal goals. Ballard was a greedyman, but many could only watch in awe as after declining to sign two stars in Darryl Sittler and Lanny Mcdonald, the team continued to sell out Maple Leaf Gardens on a regular basis. Ballard, a rather gluttonous and heinous figurehead in Toronto eventually passed on, but the evidence was there. The Leafs were a bonafide gold mine, immune to product quality effecting the off ice essentials; money raking.
Making money was good but eventually after the franchise changed hands, the Leafs brass thought it’d be good to focus on winning, and winning they did. The 90’s brought a new era of stars in Kingston native Doug Gilmour and fan favorite Wendel Clark. See although tons of money can be made for a team like the Leafs, it’s somewhat subsidized by things like players’ salaries. During the play off season, the teams that make it are not contractually obligated to continue paying players, this is due to players being paid similarly to teachers in that it’s weighted and distributed over the course of the regular season. This basically means that besides player bonus and incentives offered by the franchise; the deeper a run a team makes in the play offs, the deeper the pockets of team owners become. Teams spend currently between 40 million and 70 million annually on players’ salaries alone. For a team like the Maple Leafs, they spent near the ceiling every year and through this ice a decent team. The Leafs rolled this new wave of success to multiple play off runs built around a dream that this team could one day hoist the game Holy Grail, Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The turn of the millennium brought a new sense of pride to
the organization. For starters, they had
moved into a new building, enter the Air Canada Centre. Currently almost every
major sporting venue has their naming rights sold to the highest bidder,
regardless of how it sounds (The Phoenix Coyote’s Jobing.com Arena). The Leafs
were among the first organizations to play for a sponsored arena. They also
expanded alongside the Toronto Raptors of the NBA and Toronto Rock of NLL to
fall under the new conglomerate Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment or MLSE.
This lead to essentially what this entire blog is about. The launch of Maple
Leaf Square.
One of the biggest gripes with attending most Toronto
sporting events is the lack of availability for the average fan to experience
their favorite team play a meaningful hockey game. Maple Leaf Square is described on its website
as “The epicenter of Toronto Sports and Entertainment District.” What this
provides is a gathering of the casual fan, and also an economic boost for the
entire area, including ‘Real Time Sports and Grill’ of which is owned by, you
guessed it, MLSE as well. Condominiums
have been developed and subsequently sold out in literally no time at all. This has reinvigorated fan interest and
though not one single franchise under the MLSE umbrella experienced prolonged
success, last spring provided a small and satisfying taste of what a winner
could bring to this city. I’m of course referring to the almost triumphant comeback
witnessed during last years play off run between The Toronto Maple Leafs and
Boston Bruins.
It cant be explained what makes a Leafs fan loyal. I have considered highlighting the fact that
I am such a fan on my resume. What better way to display my level of loyalty to
one franchise that has been the catalyst for so much joy and anguish through my
formative years. It is, too put it
bluntly, a team sold on history, on past glory. For decades it worked
flawlessly but now even the Brass upstairs has attempted to put the right
pieces in place with new MLSE President Tim Leiweke. Leiweke has already made waves declaring
preparations have already begun towards the planning of a parade route; rather
prematurely. He’s also done the
unthinkable and stripped the ACC of most of it historic memorabilia and photos
found throughout the building. An admission that the past is very much behind
them.
I was asked to write a blog about stories, and obviously,
given my industry, somehow relate it to marketing. Well my answer to that is,
what better example exists in the world of professional sports? In the world itself even? Here is a team that
has not won a Championship in almost 50 years and yet the passion has never
been more prevalent. Everyone know the Leafs’ story. Whether you’re an avid fan
or a hater, you can’t help buying in to this team’s tale of persistence and
passion. As I referred to earlier this is a team that through being sold on
history and past glory has grown from a premiere NHL franchise to one of the
most valued in the world currently withholding an estimated value of roughly
one billion by itself. Not including somewhat fledgling by comparison fellow franchise's that also sit alongside in TFC and the Raps. All in all, Canadian media conglomerate's Rogers and Bel Communications Communications felt the price was worth it purchasing the entire MLSE organization for roughly 1.35 billion. Hopefully the new regime brings
winners to this city, cause as fans we’ve held up our end of the bargain.
Til next time this is The ‘Nation, talking about the situation.
Til next time this is The ‘Nation, talking about the situation.
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