For many years I’ve maintained that I know exactly when the Toronto Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup. It will be within two years of Toronto getting a second NHL franchise. And by "Toronto," I mean Toronto – not Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton or Newmarket.
Here is my reasoning: the Leafs are the only team in the centre of hockey-mad Canada’s media capital. They have always received far more than their fair share of the media’s attention. It is a big part of the reason much of Canada hates the Leafs with a curious passion.
Since Rogers and Bell bought 75% of MLSE in 2011, media fawning over the Leafs has become ridiculous. TSN and Sportsnet (on TV) and TSN 1050 and the Fan 590 (on radio) offer occasional criticism of the Leafs but spend most of their time selling us their soap.
They have pumped the "Core Four" to the stratosphere, made them multi-millionaires, and turned their Coach into Scotty Bowman and their GM into Sam Pollock before any of them has won a darn thing.
The players hear this. The Leafs play with a frustrating arrogance. They seem certain their unrivalled skill level can get them out of any situation. At one point during the season, they lost almost every "3 on 3" overtime – imperiously coughing up the puck trying for the spectacular.
I believe the Stanley Cup Playoffs (four consecutive best of 7 rounds) is the toughest tournament to win in all of sport. Players need to be terrified of losing and desperate to win. Not quite like the FIFA World Cup players afraid of being shot on returning to their country, but almost. How to achieve this in Toronto, where no Leaf player has had to pay for a restaurant meal or a bar tab in history?
A cross-town rival.
The Yankees have the Mets. The Giants have the Jets. The Lakers have the Clippers. Real Madrid has Atletico Madrid. Manchester United has Manchester City….and the NY Rangers have both the NY Islanders and the NJ Devils.
The Rangers and the Leafs are the two most valuable NHL franchises at just over $2 billion each. Having a cross-town rival seems to be good for professional sports teams. A "Red" can never even walk into a "Blue" bar in Manchester.
This week Tempe, Arizona, rejected a new arena proposal for the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes need a new home, and I say it should be Toronto. Bell and Rogers owning the same team never made any sense. One of them should sell their interest in the Leafs and buy the Coyotes.
The presumed, rumoured, supposed "territory fee" claimed by the Leafs could be negotiated (if it actually exists) in the sale price. Present value of the Coyotes is less than $500 million. Rogers and Bell interest in the Leafs is about $750 million each.
Imagine the Bell/TSN Coyotes competing against the Rogers/Sportsnet Leafs for the Stanley Cup. That would be intense and a lot of fun. It would also boost total hockey-related revenues and, consequently, the salary cap.
My preference would be for a new arena in a Multi-sport complex at Woodbine. Near the airport; the TTC; the UP Express; the 427, and the 409.
Toronto’s ravines are a natural environment for Coyotes and maybe for Stanley Cup parades!