Montreal Gazette

NHL has had some colourful owners

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GREGORY STRONG

Some NHL team owners are wild, meddling and free-spending. Others try to let their clubs make news on the ice instead of off it.

In the latest edition of NHL 100, a series from The Canadian Press, we look at four of the more interestin­g owners in league history:

HAROLD BALLARD

Unique, flamboyant, feisty, vulgar and colourful are all terms used to describe the former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ballard, who often took in games at Maple Leaf Gardens from a bunker near the end boards, first became part-owner of the team in 1962. The team enjoyed success over the next few years, but Ballard’s tenure as sole owner was marked by mediocre results and plenty of grandstand­ing and infighting.

“When I get my hockey team or my arena on the front page I’m just doing my job,” he once said.

Ballard died in 1990 at age 86.

TED LEONSIS

Leonsis has built quite a resume since graduating from Georgetown University in 1977.

He’s the founder, chairman, owner and CEO of the company that owns and operates the Washington Capitals and several other pro teams in the U.S. capital.

Leonsis, who spent 14 years as an executive at AOL, is also an Emmy Award-winning film producer, philanthro­pist and author. He’s also a former mayor of a Florida town, helped invent a board game and founded six different personal computer magazines.

JAMES DOLAN

Dolan is a rather polarizing figure in New York as owner of the Rangers and the NBA’s Knicks. He’s not afraid to spend exorbitant sums on player salaries, but many fans are quick to criticize the logic behind some of the moves.

The free-spending pattern has not paid off in championsh­ips on the ice or the hard court.

The Rangers haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1994, while the Knicks have made it past the first round just once since 2000.

CHARLES WANG

Wang raised eyebrows at times during his 16-year run as owner of the New York Islanders.

Chief among his unusual moves was promoting Garth Snow from backup goaltender to general manager in 2006 and signing off on netminder Rick DiPietro’s 15year contract later that year.

The team won just one playoff series during Wang’s tenure. He was unable to get the club’s Long Island arena site redevelope­d and the Islanders eventually moved to Brooklyn.

Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin took over as majority owners last summer while Wang retained a minority stake.

 ??  ?? Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard

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