Jason Priestley, who most Canadians know from his time on tv’s ‘Beverly Hills 90210’, is a lifelong hockey fan. Because of this, his foray into making a documentary about controversial Toronto Maple Leafs’ proprietor Harold Ballard shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock.
After his youthful performing profession, Priestley turned a well-respected, hard-working movie and tv director for the previous 30 years. His documentaries have been glorious; and, for Maple Leafs’ followers, his new one, Offside: The Harold Ballard Story is effectively value spending a while on. It may be seen now on CBC Gem.
Throughout the 90-minute video, followers will get to see images and movie of Ballard, interviews with a myriad of Maple Leafs’ greats, and interact in a stroll down reminiscence lane – though maybe not such a contented stroll.
For Harold Ballard, It Was All About Him
It’s arduous to say whether or not Ballard was loopy sensible or just loopy. He was promoter and knew tips on how to leverage Maple Leafs Gardens to create a constructive money move. Nevertheless, he might need been a good higher self-promoter. He’d do nearly something to get his title on the market.
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At the moment, to my thoughts, ex-US President Donald Trump is extra like Ballard than anybody I can consider. It will not be shocking if Trump had an image of Ballard hanging in his bed room. Neither man demonstrated any idea of political correctness, and each have been public-hungry firebrands.
Trump’s brashness jogs my memory lots of the Ballard we see in Preistley’s documentary. Each males can be remembered for his or her controversial and attention-seeking habits. As for Ballard, it was actually all about him.
Ballard’s Habits Would Not Be Tolerated At present
Ballard was the controversial majority proprietor and president of the Maple Leafs from 1972 till he died in 1990. He was identified for his eccentric habits and outspoken feedback, which regularly prompted controversy. His actions level to the conclusion that he was a misogynist and a racist, who made political incorrectness a private interest.
Such feedback and actions wouldn’t be tolerated in the present day. Lengthy-needed adjustments in societal norms and values round acceptable habits would have canceled Ballard – and shortly. Nevertheless, as a result of he wielded enormous energy and since he had the wherewithal and willingness to hunt revenge on anybody who crossed him, he was at finest tolerated.
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Compared, Ballard made Don Cherry at his worst appear like an altar boy. If he have been an NHL participant in the present day and stated a number of the issues on the ice that he stated publicly because the Maple Leafs’ proprietor, he’d be fined and suspended.
Ballard’s Greed Obtained within the Approach of Constructing a Good Staff
Ballard can be remembered for his tumultuous possession of the Maple Leafs’ hockey workforce. Throughout his tenure, he made a mess of choices that weren’t solely unpopular with followers however have been merely awful hockey selections. He traded away star gamers – Lanny McDonald and (finally) Darryl Sittler. He allowed Dave Keon to “escape” to the WHL.
(Picture by Bruce Bennett Studios by way of Getty Photographs Studios/Getty Photographs)
He raised ticket costs and made adjustments to the workforce’s enjoying type. He merely made it unattainable for the Maple Leafs to win.
Among the particular grasping issues Ballard did throughout his possession of the Maple Leafs included:
- Overcharging for concessions at Maple Leaf Gardens. Because the Ballard curse goes, the universe doesn’t let a workforce win the Stanley Cup in the event that they cost $19 for a beer or $26 for a big beer.
- Promoting workforce property with out reinvesting in gamers.
- Allegedly skimming cash from workforce contracts and different ventures.
- Refusing to modernize Maple Leaf Gardens, leading to outdated amenities.
- Lowering participant salaries throughout a league-wide wage freeze.
- Fining gamers for on-ice infractions and making them pay for their very own gear.
- Buying and selling away star gamers, akin to McDonald and Sittler [in McDonald’s case, it was to punish Sittler (who had a no-trade clause and could not be moved). In Sittler’s case, it was after he asked for a raise.]
- Elevating ticket costs and making unpopular adjustments to the sector. For instance, he rebuilt the seats so that they have been nearer collectively. He took down a big image of Queen Elizabeth so as to add much more seats. His motive? As a result of, as he stated, she didn’t pay admission.
Though not a selected instance of Ballard’s greed, he was obsessive about making more cash no matter how he made it. He was dropped at trial and located responsible of a number of monetary crimes, together with tax evasion. He additionally spent a 12 months in jail.
3 Particular Incidents Recommend How Whacky Ballard’s Selections Grew to become
Ballard’s relationship with gamers throughout his possession of the Maple Leafs was greater than controversial. Listed here are some particular incidents about him to indicate how looney he could possibly be as a hockey thinker.
Particular Incident 1: Man Kinnear (a Boat Mechanic) Grew to become the Maple Leafs’ Coach
Man Kinnear was a long-serving coach for the Maple Leafs and labored for the membership for 23 years. Nevertheless, he actually wasn’t a coach. Actually, he was Ballard’s boat mechanic. Regardless of having no medical data in any respect, he was put accountable for the gamers’ well being and accidents.
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Ballard made this choice as a result of he appreciated Kinnear and wished to take care of him. Kinnear was the workforce’s coach till being “launched” from his place when Ballard died.
Within the documentary, one interviewee famous {that a} participant would are available in with a nagging harm, and Kinnear would give him a Neo Citron. Someway, as a result of Ballard appreciated him as a ship mechanic, he thought he’d make workforce coach.
Particular Incident 2: Ballard Refuses to Put Gamers’ Names on Jerseys
The NHL dominated that gamers have been to have their names on their jerseys. Nevertheless, Ballard resisted. He claimed it might harm program gross sales. When the league compelled his compliance, he reluctantly put names on workforce jerseys. Nevertheless, he made the lettering the identical coloration because the jerseys, so the names can be invisible to followers. He believed the $2.50 he made for promoting every program was essential to make all of it work.
Particular Incident 3: Punch Imlach Made Life Depressing for Gamers
Ballard fired coach after coach till he landed upon on re-tread Punch Imlach. To his credit score, Imlach had coached the Maple Leafs years earlier than to a Stanley Cup. Nevertheless, the sport had handed Imlach by and he struggled to make the gamers do issues his “approach.”
Former Maple Leafs’ participant Lanny McDonald acknowledged that Imlach was threatened by his common gamers and did issues simply to indicate them he was the boss. For instance, Imlach would have gamers come downtown for 2 practices every day. One can be within the early morning so gamers needed to journey throughout rush hour. One other can be within the late afternoon so gamers must additionally go house throughout rush hour.
From McDonald’s viewpoint, Imlach did it simply to upset the gamers. McDonald described him as mean-spirited, a snake, and the ringmaster of a “circus.”
Was Ballard Merely Evil, or Was He Extra Nuanced?
Priestley’s documentary instructed the story of a person who tried to squeeze anybody who set foot in “his home” – Maple Leafs Gardens. Nevertheless, he by no means pushed his tackle how viewers ought to bear in mind Ballard. As a substitute, he confirmed that, for all his bombastic and grasping habits, there was a facet to Ballard he didn’t need anybody to learn about. It will, because the documentary advised, make Ballard look “comfortable.”
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Ballard was an extremely beneficiant philanthropist, giving 1000’s of {dollars} to charities such because the Particular Olympics. In a approach, such habits means that, regardless of the complexities and contradictions of Ballard’s character, he was greater than a one-dimensional monster.
Was Ballard a purely unfavorable determine; or, was he extra nuanced? Regardless of what Ballard introduced every day to the general public, did his philanthropic facet assist steadiness his ignorant and controversial hockey offers?
Wherever One Lands on Ballard, He Destroyed the Maple Leafs for Many years
All that thought of, there’s no argument that Ballard might have created a workforce that went to the Stanley Cup Playoffs season after season. Nevertheless, his greed made it unattainable for the Maple Leafs to achieve success. That greed, no matter his private eccentricities, prompted the franchise misery from which it has by no means recovered.
No Stanley Cups since 1967? A part of the blame for that falls squarely on Ballard’s shoulders – or, maybe extra to the purpose, on his fats private pockets.
Ballard is not going to be remembered effectively by most Maple Leafs’ followers.
