From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Harold Ballard (June 30, 1903-April 11, 1990) was the controversial long-time owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Maple Leaf Gardens.
Ballard's father was a wealthy manufacturing of ice skates, and fittingly Ballard became a champion speed skater. He was also passionate about hockey, never an excellent player he did become a noted coach at the junior level, he eventually became a very successful coach of the Maple Leafs' feeder club.
In 1957 he was brought to the main club by owner Stanford Smythe, who had just inherited the franchise from his legendary father Conn Smythe. Ballard became a part owner of the club and played a role in the glory days of the Leaf dynasty of the 1960s.
After an embittered battle for control of the club Ballard succeeded in gaining full control of the team and the arena in 1971 after he convinced a drunk Smythe to alter his will to give the company ot him.
He quickly became known for being irascible and cantankerous and also tired to micromanage the team interfering with coaches and players. He traded many of the teams most popular players such as Dave Keon, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, and Russ Courtnall. After MacDonald was traded his angry teammates trashed their dressing room. The best players became extremely reluctant to come to Toronto becuase of Ballard's reputation. During the 1970s the team struggled to make the play-offs, but the eighties were even worse with the team usually missing the post season entirely. He is often blamed for Toronto's failure to win a Stanley Cup since 1967.
Employees who were not players or coaches had things even worse with many stories of verbal abuse and arbitrary firings.
Outside of hockey Ballard's life was also turbulent. He fought with most of his family and was often vindictive towards them. Once when he discovered that his estranged daughters son was to play in a kids hockey tournament in the Gardens Ballard had the entire tournament cancelled. In 1972 he was convicted of fraud for using company money to refurbish his home and served a year of jail time. After his death it was discovered he had for years been stealing game equipment and selling it to collectors.
