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Maple Leaf Gardens was an indoor arena in Toronto , on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street. One of the temples of Hockey , it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1931-1999. The Leafs won 11 Stanley Cup s from 1932-1967 while playing at the Gardens. The first National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Gardens in 1934 as a benefit for Leafs forward Ace Bailey , who suffered from a career-ending injury. The first annual NHL All-Star game was also held at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1947. It was home to the Toronto Huskies (1946-1947) in their single season in the Basketball Association Of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association ), the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League , the Toronto Toros of the World Hockey Association (1974-1976), the Toronto Blizzard of the North American Soccer League (1980-1982 indoor seasons), the Toronto Shooting Stars of the National Professional Soccer League (1996-1997), and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League (1999-2000). The NBA's Buffalo Braves played 16 home games at the Gardens in three seasons from 1971-1975. The NBA's Toronto Raptors played some games at the Gardens from 1995-1999, mostly when SkyDome was unavailable. It was also one of the few venues outside of the United States where Elvis Presley performed in concert and the only site to host The Beatles in all three of their North American tours. In 1972 Maple Leaf Gardens hosted game 2 of the famous "Summit Series" between Team Canada and the USSR. Team Canada won the game 4-1. THE CONN SMYTHE ERA: 1931 TO 1961 The Gardens was built by Leafs managing director Conn Smythe in a six-month period during 1931 at a cost of $1.5 million. The site was purchased from The T. Eaton Co. Ltd. for a price said to be $150,000 below market value. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Ross And Macdonald . W. A. Hewitt , sports editor of the Toronto Star , was hired as general manager to oversee all events other than professional hockey.''Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited - Prospectus'', summary published in '' The Globe '', March 5 1931 His son, Foster Hewitt , was hired to run the radio broadcasts. Construction was partly funded through a public offering of 7% preferred shares in Maple Leaf Gardens Limited at $10 each (about $117 in 2006), with a free common share for each five preferred shares purchased.''Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited - Prospectus'', summary published in '' The Globe '', March 5 1931 Smythe and the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club Ltd. transferred ownership of the hockey team to the new corporation in return for shares in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. The contract to construct the building was awarded to Thomson Brothers Construction of Port Credit in Toronto Township."Maple Leaf Gardens contract goes to local firm," '' The Globe '', May 30 1931 Thomson Bros bid just under $990,000 for the project, the lowest of ten tenders received, mainly due to the fact that amongst the Thomson Brothers' various enterprises they had much of the sub contract work covered, others could not compete in this manner."New arena work to start on Sunday at midnight," '' Toronto Star '', May 30 1931 That price did not include steel work, which was estimated at an additional $100,000. Construction began at midnight on June 1 1931 ."New arena work to start on Sunday at midnight," '' Toronto Star '', May 30 1931 In what is to this day considered to be an unparalleled accomplishment the Gardens was built in under five months and two weeks. The Gardens opened on November 12 1931 , with the Maple Leafs losing 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks . Reported attendance on opening night was 13,542, which was about 1,500 below capacity."Over thirteen thousand attend opening game," Mike Rodden, '' The Globe '', November 13 1931 The Leafs would go on to win their first Stanley Cup that season. The first professional wrestling show at the Gardens was held on November 19 1931 and attracted 15,800 people to see world champion Jim Londos in the main event. The show was promoted by Jack Corcoran, who passed the reins to Frank Tunney in 1939. Under Tunney, Toronto and the Gardens was for decades a thriving centre for professional wrestling. Local hero Whipper Billy Watson became the city's top wrestling attraction in the 1940s and 1950s. Boxing was also a regular offering at the Gardens for many years. The first world title bout in the building was on September 19 1932 with bantamweight champion Panama Al Brown knocking out challenger Emile Pladner in the first round. On November 1 1946 , Maple Leaf Gardens was the site of the first game in the history of the Basketball Association Of America , with the Toronto Huskies playing the New York Knicks . The Huskies played their last game at the Gardens on March 28 1947 . Smythe became the majority owner of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. in 1947, following a power struggle between directors who supported him as president and those who wanted him replaced with Frank J. Selke . Toronto stock broker Percy Gardiner lent Smythe the money he needed to take control of the corporation. The loan was paid off in 1960.''Centre Ice: The Smythe Family, the Gardens, and the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club'', Thomas Stafford Smythe with Kevin Shea, Fenn Publishing Co., 2000 Elvis Presley 's shows at the Gardens on April 2 1957 were his first-ever concerts outside of the United States. SMYTHE-BALLARD-BASSETT IN PARTNERSHIP: 1961 TO 1971 In 1961, Smythe sold most of his shares to a three-person partnership formed by his son, was removed to make room for more seats. When asked why he removed the picture, Ballard replied, "She doesn't pay me, I pay her. Besides, what the hell position can a queen play?"''Ballard: A Portrait of Canada's Most Controversial Sports Figure'', William Houston, Summerhill Press, 1984, p. 60. The Leafs were so popular that the team sold out every game from 1946-1999. It was often called the "Carlton Street Cashbox" in sports reporting. Advertising was sold and placed throughout the building. 1964 In March 1966, Conn Smythe resigned from the board of directors after a Muhammad Ali boxing match was scheduled for the Gardens. He found Ali's comments about the Vietnam War to be offensive and said that by accepting the fight, Gardens owners had "put cash ahead of class.""'Cash rated over class' Conn quits," Ken McKee, '' Toronto Star '', March 8 1966 Ballard and the younger Smythe were accused in 1969 of stealing money from the corporation and avoiding income taxes by having Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. pay for many of their personal expenses."Staff Smythe and Harold Ballard charged with income tax evasions," Ron Lowman, '' Toronto Star '', July 9 1969 The controversy created a rift between the two and Bassett, which led to Smythe and Ballard being fired from their management positions in 1969, only to win back control the following year. In September 1971, Bassett sold his shares to Stafford Smythe and Ballard. Just six weeks later, Smythe died. His brother and son tried to keep the shares within the Smythe family, but in February 1972 all of Smythe's shares were purchased by Ballard, leaving him with majority ownership of the building and the Leafs. HAROLD BALLARD TAKES CONTROL: 1972 TO 1990 The Leafs continued to sell out every game through the Ballard era, even as the team's performance went into steep decline. The rink-side red seats turned to gold in 1974.''Maple Leaf Gardens: Fifty Years Of History'', Stan Obodiac, Van Nostrand Reinhold Ltd., 1981 In August 1979, to make room for private boxes, Ballard had his staff tear down the 48-year-old gondola from which Foster Hewitt regularly broadcast games across Canada and throw it into an incinerator."Oh no! Ballard's trashed Hewitt's gondola," Rick Boulton, '' Toronto Star '', September 20 1979 In an editorial, the '' Toronto Star '' called Ballard's actions the "barbaric destruction of one of Canada's great cultural monuments."Editorial, '' Toronto Star '', September 23 1979 Concert Promotions International was founded in 1973 by Ballard's son Bill Ballard with Michael Cohl and David Wolinksy and brought many big-name musical acts to the Gardens. The Who performed what was supposed to be their last concert in December of 1982 at this venue and was filmed for the concert film The Who Rocks America 1982. The video for '' The Reflex '' by Duran Duran was shot at Maple Leaf Gardens in March 1984. In 1997, allegations began to emerge that some employees of the Gardens had sexually abused young boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Martin Kruze was the first victim to come forward—contacting the new owners of Maple Leaf Gardens in 1993, and going public in February 1997. His story of abuses beginning in 1975 prompted dozens of other victims to come forward. In October 1997, Gordon Stuckless pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 24 boys dating back to 1969 and was sentenced to a jail term of two years less a day."Sex abuser jailed less than 2 years," '''', December 13 2002 , p. B4. Allegations—unproven in court—were also made against other Gardens employees, including Ballard."Ballard named in new abuse charges," Nicolaas van Rijn, '' Toronto Star '', October 18 2002 , p. A3. Several civil suits were settled out of court for undisclosed amounts. In January 2006, the Ontario government filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., seeking repayment of the medical costs to the province of treating the sex abuse victims. MAPLE LEAF SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT: 1991 TO 2003 Ballard died in April 1990. The executors of his 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 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.Date-by-date story of Gardens takeover fight," '' Hamilton Spectator '', November 11 1994 , p. C15 The purchase was the subject of a securities commission review and a lawsuit from Ballard's son Bill Ballard, but the deal stood and Stavro and his partners in MLG Ventures became the new owner of the Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens. MLG Ventures took Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. private and the two corporations amalgamated {Link without Title} , becoming Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. after its acquisition of the Toronto Raptors in 1998. Initially, the majority owner of MLSE, holding 51% of the company, was MLG Holdings, a corporation controlled by Stavro, with minority shareholders Larry Tannenbaum (25%) and Toronto-Dominion Bank (20%). The other 49% of MLSE was owned by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan . In 2003 Stavro sold his shares and MLG Holdings was dissolved, leaving Teachers' as majority owners of MLSE. During the 1990s, MLSE considered a number of sites for a new, modern arena to replace Maple Leaf Gardens, including the southeast corner of Bay and Dundas Streets near the Toronto Eaton Centre (the site of the new Ryerson University School of Business). By this time, Maple Leaf Gardens was considered too small and lacking in revenue-generating luxury boxes. The Leafs had no plans to occupy the Air Canada Centre , then under construction by the owners of the Toronto Raptors , and it appeared for a time as though the stalemate between the two sports franchises would result in two new arenas being constructed in Toronto – one for hockey, one for basketball. When MLSE acquired the Toronto Raptors, however, the Air Canada Centre, which was still under construction, was quickly retrofitted to accommodate both hockey and basketball. The Raptors played their final game at the Gardens on February 9 1999 . A few days later, on February 13 1999 , the Toronto Maple Leafs ended a 67-year tradition when they played their last game at Maple Leaf Gardens, suffering a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Former Leaf Doug Gilmour scored a fluke goal in that game and notorious tough guy Bob Probert scored the final NHL goal in MLG history during the third period. During the emotional post-game ceremony, legendary Canadian singer Anne Murray performed '' The Maple Leaf Forever ,'' clad in a Leafs jersey. The Gardens was the home arena for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. The Rock won the Champion's Cup in both seasons, making them the building's last championship team. They held training camp at the Gardens in 2001 and then moved to the ACC. Maple Leaf Gardens has been mostly dormant since then. FUTURE MLSE refused to sell Maple Leaf Gardens to anyone who proposed to use it as an arena in competition with the Air Canada Centre, and in particular, refused to sell to Eugene Melnyk , the owner of the Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHL hockey team, and NHL rival Ottawa Senators . Various redevelopment schemes were proposed, most notably an entertainment complex containing retail shops and cinemas (similar to the redevelopment of the Montreal Forum ), but these plans were abandoned when it was discovered that the tiered arena seating was holding up the exterior walls of the building, acting as a form of interior Flying Buttress . If the bowl of seating were removed, therefore, the exterior walls would lose most of their support. Loblaw Companies , Canada's largest food retailer, purchased the Gardens in 2004. It is converting the interior to accommodate a Real Canadian Superstore and parking. There has been some criticism that the conversion of the building to retail uses diminishes its heritage value, and that Maple Leaf Gardens should continue to serve as an arena in accordance with its rich history and traditions. Others, however, note that the structure has been deteriorating for a number of years, and that its ongoing use for minor league sports and events would not generate sufficient income to secure the building's preservation and restoration. Further, the active re-use of the building would allow it to remain open to the public for years to come. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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