"[25] A few days later, the Tiger Cats won the 1986 Grey Cup by beating the Edmonton Eskimos 3915 and Ballard said it was worth every penny. These demands made it financially impossible for the Toros to survive in Toronto, and after the 1975-76 season they moved to Birmingham, Alabama. To make room for more seats, Ballard removed a large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from the Gardens. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. In 1940, he became a member of the Maple Leafs Hockey Team organization, was a senior executive in 1957, became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February 1972 until his death at age 86. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. The tournament would become known as the Summit Series. Growing up in Jordan, he went to St John's Catholic School for 8 years and graduated from Jordan High School in 1952. In September 1981, after Imlach had another heart attack during training camp, Ballard told the media that Imlach's poor health meant that "he's through as general manager". To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. When his cantankerous father returned from prison, Mr. Ballard was demoted, though he stayed on the board and kept his large chunk of common stock in the company. At the same time, Hockey Canada and the NHL Players Association had negotiated an agreement to hold an eight-game tournament between Canadian professional hockey players and the top players from the Soviet Union. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. There was a problem getting your location. U.S. At the time, NHL teams relied on the reserve clause to keep players from jumping to other teams in the league, but the clause could not prevent players from leaving the NHL to join a different league. Priestley, the narrator and director of "Offside: the Harold Ballard Story, wants Canadians to draw their own conclusions on the irascible sports magnate who also owned the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. At the time, the CFL still consisted of two autonomous conferences. It trained me to work for my dad.". "They loved each other deeply," Mr. Cohl says. CAS Announces Dr. Robert Ballard as 2023 Spring Meeting Featured Harold Ballard Jr., son of the late owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is very self-deprecating, but that doesn't mean he isn't astute or insightful. Mr. Ballard invested in Maple Leaf Gardens when it was built in 1931 and worked there as he worked his way through the organization in various positions. He was born on February 28, 1945, in Astoria, Oregon. I can see a lot of lawsuits flying around here. Priestley's 'Offside' paints a complex portrait of former Leafs owner In 1973, the WHA moved the Ottawa Nationals to Toronto as the Toronto Toros. He said Yolanda would often show up on road trips. "He was in the shadow of his father and maybe I got more attention, but he was awfully sharp. In 1974, when Bassett put the Toronto Argonauts up for sale, Ballard offered to buy the team for $3 million, but his offer was rejected. At first, the players welcomed Ballard behind the bench, but the mood soon changed, particularly after Ballard benched the team captain. Ballard was a very hands-on owner who quickly became known for being irascible and cantankerous. HAROLD G BALLARD. based on information from your browser. Ballard sold the team to businessman David Braley on February 24, 1989. "He had an amazing ability to put away bowls and bowls of food," Mr. Finkelstein recounts. "It's the same," he said, "as human beings in business.". [15] Ballard told the press that the real battle had been between Imlach and Eagleson, and Sittler just got caught in the crossfire. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Ballard's application would have required the unanimous consent of the four Eastern Football Conference owners to have been approved under the rules in effect at the time. Keon was forced to move to the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints. The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) has announced that deep-sea explorer and retired U.S. Navy commander Dr. Robert Ballard, best known for his discovery of the R.M.S. Sittler himself ripped the captain's C off his sweater, later commenting that a captain had to be the go-between with players and management, and he no longer had any communication with management. The Leafs defeated the Red Wings in the final game of the season, and backed into the playoffs when the Stars lost their final game hours later. Latest Obituaries. All Obituary | Harold Buchholz of Cody, Wyoming | Ballard Funeral Home Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? The committee came to be known as the "Silver Seven". In Toronto, one of the most British of Canadian cities, with downtown streets named ''King'' and ''Queen,'' a large picture of Queen Elizabeth used to hang in Maple Leaf Gardens. '', Mr. Ballard never let high position inhibit his tongue or his behavior. Harold Otto Hallberg - Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation William Owen Sydney Ballard (November 10, 1946 - March 14, 2014) was a businessman and concert promoter. BALLA BEVERLEY - Obituaries - Winnipeg Free Press Passages [10] After the season, where the Maple Leafs were swept in the quarterfinals by the Canadiens, Ballard fired general manager Jim Gregory, replacing him with his predecessor, Punch Imlach. Imlach was never officially fired, but when he tried to return to his office in November, he found that his parking spot at Maple Leaf Gardens had been reassigned and Gerry McNamara had been made acting general manager. JEAN BALLARD OBITUARY. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Harold Ballard (10477)? referee, angered a fan by accidentally knocking over the man's beer. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. In regard to spotlights, Mr. Ballard didn't seek them himself. 00:02:34 Harold Ballard is very self-deprecating, but that doesn't mean he isn't astute or insightful. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? When she didnt travel with the team, she would arrange for suitable food to be sent to Harolds hotel room, ensuring the diabetic would eat well. As it turns out, he didn't win the brawl for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hockey Hall of Fame Team Owner. According to Ballard's lawyer, his estate was worth less than $50 million. They married in 1957 and had two children before he filed for divorce. She claimed to have been with Ballard for eight years at the time of his death. As a young man, he loved working with horses on his aunt and uncles farm. In 1977, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and into the Canadian Football hall of Fame in 1987. Obituary James Harold Ballard, of Sharpsburg, passed away Wednesday, December 23, 2020. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Burke Mortuary of Maiden Inc. He could not get enough of his grandma's cooking. "There's not a remote chance I would have a career if not for Bill Ballard.". Ballard never forgave the WHA for this, and became the leader of the hardline faction of NHL owners who opposed any merger with the upstart league. Forward to Family & Friends; Print; Contact Support; Upgrade; Death Certificates; Share This Obituary. [8], At the time Ballard took over, the Leafs' captain was Dave Keon, who had been with the team since 1960. Well, you added Yolanda to the mix and it actually did get more colourful, recalled Bob Stellick, who worked for the Leafs on the business side in the late 80s and compared the relationship to Archie and Edith Bunker from the old sitcom All In The Family.. While it provided a clearer picture for fans, it caused a very sharp glare that distracted players. February 28, 1945 - October 12, 2021. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Even after the NHL-WHA merger was finalized over Ballard's objections, it was only the intervention of NHL President John Ziegler that finally persuaded Ballard to not reclaim Keon's rights (which would have effectively ended his career) and allow him to play three more seasons with the mediocre Hartford Whalers. Never paid any taxes for me. Once you find the obituary you are looking for, you can get important information about upcoming services, share a favorite photo or memory, and send flowers or gifts to the family. View Harold Edwin Ballard's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Harold was born and reared in Canada. A year later, they staged a proxy war to regain control of the board. Harold Ballard Sheriff Obituary (1940 - 2019) | Elberton, GA - Echovita . Many fans consider the Ballard era to be the darkest period in team history. BALLARD, JEAN LORENA Jean Lorena Ballard, age 90, passed away Sunday, July 28, 2013 at Rose Haven Assisted Living Center in Menahga, MN. Harold McKee Obituary - Peterborough, ON - Dignity Memorial The players who stayed could use the threat of joining the WHA to negotiate better contracts, and Ballard always blamed the WHA for inflating players' salaries. He was "Billy" to his friends, and he had many of those. Republication or distribution of this content is Conn Smythe later claimed that he believed he was only selling his shares to his son, but it is very unlikely that Stafford could have acquired the millions he needed to buy the Leafs on his own. CPI had an exclusive arrangement with the arena, which left most rival promoters out in the cold. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Ballard's desire to control players and their salaries also put him at odds with Alan Eagleson, executive director of the NHL Players' Association and a player agent whose clients included Keon's successor as captain, Darryl Sittler. Drag images here or select from your computer for Harold Ballard memorial. Harold Fred Weber, Jr. Manning, South Carolina March 4, 1945 - April 24, 2020 Tribute Wall Obituary & Events Share a memory Send Flowers Share a memory of Harold Fred Weber, Jr.. Plant a tree in memory of Harold An environmentally friendly option Plant a tree b benny putnam December 23, 2020 I worked with Harold in Cheraw many years ago. Obituaries | Enid News and Eagle Benjamin Harold Ballard, 42, was shot and killed in a traffic altercation at SW 59 and Mustang Road about 6:45 p.m. Friday, June 5, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported. He said it served the guy right, that it would do him some good.''. Dr. Henry Harold Ballard, age 79, of Grand Prairie, Texas passed away on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. [6] During the time Harold was in prison, his son Bill managed the Maple Leaf Gardens. As owner of the Tiger Cats, Ballard claimed to be losing a million dollars a year. Although the Leafs were barely competitive for much Ballard's tenure, every game at Maple Leaf Gardens was sold out and he was well known for his charitable activities. The low point came in 198485, when the Leafs finished the season with the worst record in the league, 32 games below .500. In 1955, she met Bill MacMillan, the son of a noted magistrate. There, the Nationals lost 21 in overtime to a team from the U.S.the first loss for a Canadian team at the world championships.