When Steve Stavro finally gained control of the Maple Leafs, following the death of Harold Ballard in 1990, his life had been an unequivocal success. After leaving Macedonia when he was seven, he followed in his father’s footsteps, opening a chain of grocery stores around the GTA. A noted philanthropist, he was instrumental in the [...]

Forty-five years ago today, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in a six-game series. Few could have imagined that nearly half a century later, fans would still be waiting to see the team hoist the trophy again. Over the next two days Torontoist will look at the good and bad [...]

Beer and hockey. Aside from maybe the beaver and the maple leaf, there are probably no two things more emblematic of our great country. And when those two elements are combined, you get a quintessentially Canadian event known as the Copper Kettle Cup. Now in its ninth year, the annual tournament brings together six local [...]

Although the MRCH 108.8 Morning Zoo Crew! may sound like it is a brand new collection of radio shock-jocks, almost nothing could be further from the truth. The Zoo Crew is a hockey team. And although its members were slated to take on the Peterborough Ex-Rays this morning at Rexdale’s Westwood Arenas, they are, in [...]

How we imagine this magnetic hockey scoreboard was used: depending on newspaper delivery time, a dedicated young fan grabbed the sports section while drinking rich, chocolatey Ovaltine for breakfast, or after school. He flipped to the standings, noted any changes, then rushed over to the fridge to update his beloved board. Once the magnets had [...]

Friday’s firing of Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson marked the second time the organization has let Wilson go. The first time was not accompanied by catcalls or media pressure to leave the team—it was barely acknowledged, if at all. Wilson’s first departure was as a player, following a frustrating season that included injuries, limited playing [...]

WHERE: Christie Pits WHEN: Friday, February 10; approximately 11 p.m. WHAT: Winter has been kind of puny this year, but this weekend we got a proper dose of February. Making the most of the first major cold snap of 2012, some intrepid skaters braved the extreme cold weather alert and laced up for a game [...]

The National Hockey League confirmed during a press conference this morning that the Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Detroit Red Wings in the next Winter Classic game, scheduled for January 1, 2013. As rumours over the past month have indicated, the match will be held at Michigan Stadium (aka “The Big House”) in Ann [...]

On January 12, 1928, two hockey teams composed entirely of First Nations players took to the ice at Ravina Gardens on Rowland Street for a “a very speedy and clever game of hockey,” as one newspaper described it. It was one of the earliest stops on what would be a 2,200-mile motor coach tour. Over [...]

WHERE: Sunnydale Acres Park, in Rexdale WHEN: Wednesday, January 4, at 11 a.m. WHAT: The Maple Leafs held an outdoor practice in front of a large crowd of fans to celebrate the refurbishment of the rink at Sunnydale Acres Park. (The fix-up happened as a result of a partnership between the Leafs, their foundation, the [...]

Where pucks once flew 15 feet or more on the ice, shoppers will stare at a 15-foot wall of cheese. Today’s grand opening of the new flagship Loblaws store at Maple Leaf Gardens is a long-awaited step in the repurposing of a Toronto landmark. Along with Ryerson University’s Peter Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gardens, [...]

Dysfunction has a long history in Toronto hockey. A hockey impresario in the amateur ranks, Edward J. Livingstone’s graduation to the professional game quickly devolved into bickering, power struggles, and lawsuits. As owner and manager of the Toronto Shamrocks—and later, the Toronto Blueshirts—of the National Hockey Association, Livingstone clashed repeatedly with his fellow owners. The [...]