Steve Stavro
Encyclopedia
Steve Atanas Stavro, CM
(September 27, 1926 - April 24, 2006), born Manoli Stavroff Sholdas, was a Macedonian Canadian
businessman, grocery store magnate, Thoroughbred
racehorse
owner/breeder, sports team owner, and a noted philanthropist
.
with his family when he was seven years old to join his father, who had come to Canada in 1927. He attended Duke of Connaught Public School, where he was given the name Steve, and Riverdale Collegiate Institute
. He worked in his father's grocery store, Louis Meat Market, at Queen Street and Coxwell Avenue and left school after Grade 10 to work full-time.
In 1951, he and his family opened a new store across the street under the Knob Hill Farms
name. Stavro said he took the name off a box of produce from California, although Knob Hill was also the name of a community in Scarborough, Ontario
. By 1954, he was running his own grocery store at 425 Danforth Avenue
while his older brother, Chris Stavro, managed the original store. By the late 1950s, Stavro was operating nine grocery stores and outdoor markets in Toronto. His father was diagnosed with cancer in 1956 and died in 1960.
In December 1963, Stavro opened his first food "terminal"—a forerunner of the big-box store
—which featured low prices and no-frills service. It was located at Woodbine Road and Highway 7 in Markham, Ontario
. Eight years later, he opened a second terminal in Pickering, Ontario
. A 10,000 square-metre store at Landsowne Avenue and Dundas Street West in Toronto opened in 1975. Through the years, he opened nine terminals in the Greater Toronto Area
and a 31,500 square-metre outlet in Cambridge, Ontario
, which opened in 1991, billed as the world's largest grocery store.
In 1992, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
. At the time, he was said to own a manor house on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Campbellcroft, Ontario
, a 49-room mansion on Teddington Park in Toronto, a palatial mansion in Palm Beach, Florida
, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) at Holland Marsh
, and a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm in Kentucky
.
All Knob Hill Farms stores were shut down in 2000. In 2006, Stavro died in his home at age 78 after a heart attack
. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery
where he had built a tomb adorned with icons of many of his achievements including the Toronto Maple Leafs
, Toronto Raptors
, Order of Canada
, Knights of Malta, Order of the Masons
and an equestrian statue of Alexander the Great.
.
Over the years he was involved in the organization and management of the Continental Soccer League in 1959, the International Soccer League in 1960, the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League in late 1960, the United Soccer Association
in 1966 and the North American Soccer League
in 1968.
In 1961, along with industrialist Larry Myslivec and journalist Ed Fitken, Stavro formed the Toronto City Soccer Club which played in the newly created Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League, becoming president of the club. In that first season the team signed well-known British stars Stanley Matthews
, Danny Blanchflower
, Jackie Mudie
and Johnny Haynes
, while the player-coach was former Scottish
international Tommy Younger
. He continued to operate the team until January 1966 when he withdrew the team after the league refused to order the amalgamation of the three Toronto teams.
In 1966, he helped to form the United Soccer Association
(USA) with teams from coast to coast across the United States
and Canada. Each team in the league in that first season was represented by a well known overseas club, with Toronto City being represented by the famous Scottish
team Hibernian
. In December of that year the USA merged with the rival National Professional Soccer League
(NPSL) to form the North American Soccer League
. Later in 1967 Stavro made the decision to sell his professional rights in the NASL to fellow Torontonian Joe Peters who owned the Toronto Falcons
.
However, he continued his involvement with soccer by staging international exhibition games at the old baseball park Maple Leaf Stadium
, Exhibition Stadium
and Varsity Stadium
. Those games involved such famous teams as Manchester United F.C.
, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Fiorentina
, Internazionale, Olympiakos, Glasgow Celtic and A.C. Milan
.
In 2005, Stavro was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as a builder of the sport http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/hall/index.asp?sub2=14.
based in Newmarket, Ontario
, enjoyed considerable success. He usually named his horses after famous Macedonian heroes and battles.
In 1988, Stavros acquired a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm in Kentucky
and was used to train his horses during the winter.
Stavro was a member of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society and the
Jockey Club of Canada
. In 2006, he was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
as a builder of the sport.
owner Harold Ballard
, Stavro had served as a director of Maple Leaf Gardens since 1981, and he, Don Giffin, and Don Crump served as the executors of Ballard's will following the latter's death. Stavro became Chairman of the Board of Maple Leaf Gardens
and governor of the Maple Leafs in October 1991 following Ballard's death. That year, Stavro paid off a $20 million loan that had been made to Ballard in 1980 by Molson
. In return, he was given an option to buy Maple Leaf Gardens
shares from Ballard's estate. Molson also agreed to sell its stake in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. to Stavro. That deal closed in 1994, and shortly after Stavro bought Ballard's shares from the estate for $34 a share or $75 million. The purchase was the subject of a securities commission review and a lawsuit from Ballard's son Bill, but the deal stood.
In contrast to Ballard, Stavro was a somewhat reclusive man who hated the spotlight, and largely left the Maple Leafs in the hands of the hockey operations staff. The first period of success was led by general manager
Cliff Fletcher
. In 1992–93, the Maple Leafs had their first winning season in 14 years, coming within one game of the Stanley Cup
Finals, and again made the Conference Finals the following season. During the tenure of head coach and general manager Pat Quinn
from 1999 to 2002, the team was an annual contender, clinching a Northeast Division
title, the first two 100-point seasons in franchise history, and two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. However, his legacy was somewhat tainted when he vetoed the Fletcher deal for Wayne Gretzky. Said Gretzky, "Toronto was my first choice. It was really where I wanted to go. But Cliff came back and said he had taken it to the owner, and the owner nixed it."
Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited was renamed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 1996, with the acquisition of the Toronto Raptors
of the National Basketball Association
after establishing a partnership with Larry Tanenbaum
. The partnership enabled the Leafs and Raptors to share the new Air Canada Centre
rather than building two separate venues. However, Stavro and Tanenbaum were said to have a poor relationship, as Tanenbaum disputed a report that claimed that Stavro saw him as a favored son. A Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine article also alleged that Stavro would worry about minute details such as hot dogs. The owners' lounge at the Air Canada Centre was modeled in a Scottish theme with dark wood panels while Stavro was chairman; his successor Tanenbaum had the room remodeled to a white modernistic style with some insiders saying that the change was made because the old room reminded him too much of Stavro.
Stavro was also known in the local Macedonian community to have a friendly competition with fellow Macedonian Mike Ilitch
who owned a rival NHL hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings
. Stavro's Knob Hill Farms sponsored a hockey team
in the Metro Junior A League
in the 1962–63 season. The team and the league folded after the end of the season.
Stavro stepped down as Chairman of MLSE in 2003 in favour of Tanenbaum, as part of a restructuring plan that also saw him sell his majority stake to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
. Jim Leech, OTTP Senior Vice President of Private Equity (also known as the Teachers' Merchant Bank
), had orchestrated the deal after the closure of Stavro's Knob Hill Farms grocery chain, giving rise to rumours that the financial state of MLSE could also be affected. Stavro received a luxury box
as part of the deal, which caused some controversy as several disabled season-ticket holders were displaced without notification.
, a member of the Executive Committee of the Economic Council of Canada
, a trustee of the Ontario Jockey Club, and honorary campaign chairman of Toronto East General Hospital Emergency Critical Care Fund (1987–89).
Stavro was a founding sponsor of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
and a member of its advisory council, founding member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, corporate member of 4-H Canada, member of the board of directors of the John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Foundation, member of the advisory council for the Equine Research Centre, member of the Jockey Club of Canada
, member of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, and a member of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) of Lexington, Kentucky.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(September 27, 1926 - April 24, 2006), born Manoli Stavroff Sholdas, was a Macedonian Canadian
Macedonian Canadians
Macedonian Canadians are a group of ethnic Macedonians who live in Canada.-History:...
businessman, grocery store magnate, Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owner/breeder, sports team owner, and a noted philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Personal life and Knob Hill Farms
Born in Macedonia, Stavro immigrated to TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
with his family when he was seven years old to join his father, who had come to Canada in 1927. He attended Duke of Connaught Public School, where he was given the name Steve, and Riverdale Collegiate Institute
Riverdale Collegiate Institute
Riverdale Collegiate Institute is a high school located at Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1907 and was at that time on the outskirts of the city. It was extensively renovated in the 1990s but the original facade was maintained. It is the academic school for lower east end Toronto.On...
. He worked in his father's grocery store, Louis Meat Market, at Queen Street and Coxwell Avenue and left school after Grade 10 to work full-time.
In 1951, he and his family opened a new store across the street under the Knob Hill Farms
Knob Hill Farms
Knob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by Steve Stavro, and operated from 1951 to 2001.-Community grocery stores:...
name. Stavro said he took the name off a box of produce from California, although Knob Hill was also the name of a community in Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
. By 1954, he was running his own grocery store at 425 Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...
while his older brother, Chris Stavro, managed the original store. By the late 1950s, Stavro was operating nine grocery stores and outdoor markets in Toronto. His father was diagnosed with cancer in 1956 and died in 1960.
In December 1963, Stavro opened his first food "terminal"—a forerunner of the big-box store
Big-box store
A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store...
—which featured low prices and no-frills service. It was located at Woodbine Road and Highway 7 in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
. Eight years later, he opened a second terminal in Pickering, Ontario
Pickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
. A 10,000 square-metre store at Landsowne Avenue and Dundas Street West in Toronto opened in 1975. Through the years, he opened nine terminals in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
and a 31,500 square-metre outlet in Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, which opened in 1991, billed as the world's largest grocery store.
In 1992, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. At the time, he was said to own a manor house on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Campbellcroft, Ontario
Campbellcroft, Ontario
Campbellcroft is a rural hamlet located 15 kilometres north of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Port Hope, Ontario in Northumberland County....
, a 49-room mansion on Teddington Park in Toronto, a palatial mansion in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) at Holland Marsh
Holland Marsh
The Holland Marsh is a wetland and agricultural area north of Toronto, Ontario. It lies entirely within the valley of the Holland River, stretching from the northern edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Schomberg to the river mouth at Cook's Bay, Lake Simcoe. In its entirety it comprises about or...
, and a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
All Knob Hill Farms stores were shut down in 2000. In 2006, Stavro died in his home at age 78 after a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...
where he had built a tomb adorned with icons of many of his achievements including the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
, Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, Knights of Malta, Order of the Masons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and an equestrian statue of Alexander the Great.
Stavro and soccer
His first experience with competitive organized soccer was playing centre forward for the Duke of Connaught Public School in Toronto in the late 1930s. The team went on to become Toronto district champions. A devout soccer fan since his youth, he was honoured as a life member of the Canadian Soccer AssociationCanadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides...
.
Over the years he was involved in the organization and management of the Continental Soccer League in 1959, the International Soccer League in 1960, the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League in late 1960, the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
in 1966 and the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in 1968.
In 1961, along with industrialist Larry Myslivec and journalist Ed Fitken, Stavro formed the Toronto City Soccer Club which played in the newly created Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League, becoming president of the club. In that first season the team signed well-known British stars Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, Danny Blanchflower
Danny Blanchflower
Robert Dennis "Danny" Blanchflower was a former Northern Ireland international footballer and football manager, and journalist who captained Tottenham Hotspur F.C. during its double-winning season of 1961. He was ranked as the greatest player in Spurs history by The Times in 2009...
, Jackie Mudie
Jackie Mudie
John "Jackie" Knight Mudie was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scots to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup....
and Johnny Haynes
Johnny Haynes
John Norman "Johnny" Haynes was an English footballer, best known for his 18 years at Fulham. He played a club-record 658 games and scored 158 goals for the club between 1952 and 1970...
, while the player-coach was former Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
international Tommy Younger
Tommy Younger
Thomas Younger was a Scottish professional footballer of the 1950s and 60s who played as a goalkeeper.- Club career :Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Younger signed for his hometown club Hibernian in 1948...
. He continued to operate the team until January 1966 when he withdrew the team after the league refused to order the amalgamation of the three Toronto teams.
In 1966, he helped to form the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
(USA) with teams from coast to coast across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada. Each team in the league in that first season was represented by a well known overseas club, with Toronto City being represented by the famous Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
team Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. In December of that year the USA merged with the rival National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
(NPSL) to form the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
. Later in 1967 Stavro made the decision to sell his professional rights in the NASL to fellow Torontonian Joe Peters who owned the Toronto Falcons
Toronto Falcons
The Toronto Falcons were a soccer team based in Toronto, Canada. They played only two years, 1967 in the National Professional Soccer League and 1968 in the North American Soccer League . Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
.
However, he continued his involvement with soccer by staging international exhibition games at the old baseball park Maple Leaf Stadium
Maple Leaf Stadium
Maple Leaf Stadium was a baseball stadium in Toronto built in 1926 by Lol Solman for his Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team of the International League on the site of a stadium that had been built in 1907. It continued to be the home of the Leafs for 42 seasons, until the team left town following...
, Exhibition Stadium
Exhibition Stadium
Canadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
and Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium is a collegiate football stadium that is home to the Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While the present structure was built in 2007, it is in fact the third major incarnation of the stadium that has occupied the same site...
. Those games involved such famous teams as Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, Internazionale, Olympiakos, Glasgow Celtic and A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
.
In 2005, Stavro was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as a builder of the sport http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/hall/index.asp?sub2=14.
Knob Hill Stable
Steve Stavro became a racehorse owner in 1965, buying three yearlings in partnership with lawyer Joe Kane. Kane got out of the business, and Stavro continued racing and breeding and as the owner of Knob Hill StableKnob Hill Stable
Knob Hill Stable was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established by Toronto businessman, Steve Stavro.The stable bred and raced a number of champions such as Canadian Horse of the Year honourees, Benburb and Thornfield. In 1992, Steve Stavro was voted a Sovereign Award...
based in Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, enjoyed considerable success. He usually named his horses after famous Macedonian heroes and battles.
In 1988, Stavros acquired a 300 acres (1.2 km²) farm in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and was used to train his horses during the winter.
Stavro was a member of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society and the
Jockey Club of Canada
Jockey Club of Canada
The Jockey Club of Canada was formed in 1973 to oversee thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the club is responsible for the annual Sovereign Awards program and the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee.Founding members:...
. In 2006, he was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
as a builder of the sport.
Toronto Maple Leafs - Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
A long-time friend of Toronto Maple LeafsToronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...
, Stavro had served as a director of Maple Leaf Gardens since 1981, and he, Don Giffin, and Don Crump served as the executors of Ballard's will following the latter's death. Stavro became Chairman of the Board of Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
and governor of the Maple Leafs in October 1991 following Ballard's death. That year, Stavro paid off a $20 million loan that had been made to Ballard in 1980 by Molson
Molson
Molson-Coors Canada Inc. is the Canadian division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Molson Coors Brewing Company. It is the second oldest company in Canada after the Hudson's Bay Company. Molson's first brewery was located on the St...
. In return, he was given an option to buy Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
shares from Ballard's estate. Molson also agreed to sell its stake in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. to Stavro. That deal closed in 1994, and shortly after Stavro bought Ballard's shares from the estate for $34 a share or $75 million. The purchase was the subject of a securities commission review and a lawsuit from Ballard's son Bill, but the deal stood.
In contrast to Ballard, Stavro was a somewhat reclusive man who hated the spotlight, and largely left the Maple Leafs in the hands of the hockey operations staff. The first period of success was led by general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Cliff Fletcher
Cliff Fletcher
George Clifford Fletcher is a National Hockey League executive and is a former general manager of the Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Phoenix Coyotes . He is currently a Senior Advisor to the Toronto Maple Leafs...
. In 1992–93, the Maple Leafs had their first winning season in 14 years, coming within one game of the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals, and again made the Conference Finals the following season. During the tenure of head coach and general manager Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (ice hockey)
John Brian Patrick Quinn , is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Edmonton Oilers. Known by the nickname "The Big Irishman",...
from 1999 to 2002, the team was an annual contender, clinching a Northeast Division
Northeast Division
Northeast Division may refer to:*Northeast Division *Northeast Division *Northeast Division Board...
title, the first two 100-point seasons in franchise history, and two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. However, his legacy was somewhat tainted when he vetoed the Fletcher deal for Wayne Gretzky. Said Gretzky, "Toronto was my first choice. It was really where I wanted to go. But Cliff came back and said he had taken it to the owner, and the owner nixed it."
Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited was renamed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 1996, with the acquisition of the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
after establishing a partnership with Larry Tanenbaum
Larry Tanenbaum
Lawrence "Larry" Tanenbaum is a Canadian businessman who is chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment...
. The partnership enabled the Leafs and Raptors to share the new Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
rather than building two separate venues. However, Stavro and Tanenbaum were said to have a poor relationship, as Tanenbaum disputed a report that claimed that Stavro saw him as a favored son. A Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine article also alleged that Stavro would worry about minute details such as hot dogs. The owners' lounge at the Air Canada Centre was modeled in a Scottish theme with dark wood panels while Stavro was chairman; his successor Tanenbaum had the room remodeled to a white modernistic style with some insiders saying that the change was made because the old room reminded him too much of Stavro.
Stavro was also known in the local Macedonian community to have a friendly competition with fellow Macedonian Mike Ilitch
Mike Ilitch
Michael "Mike" Ilitch Sr. is an American entrepreneur and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. In addition to his sports ownerships, he is the founder and owner of Little Caesars Pizza since 1959, which has become an international fast food franchise...
who owned a rival NHL hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. Stavro's Knob Hill Farms sponsored a hockey team
Toronto Knob Hill Farms
Toronto Knob Hill Farms were a junior ice hockey team who played one season in the fledgling Metro Junior A League in 1962-63. Formerly the Unionville Seaforths, the team moved to downtown Toronto for the Metro League's second year and became associated with grocery retailer Knob Hill Farms.The...
in the Metro Junior A League
Metro Junior A League
The Metro Junior A League was a junior ice hockey league created in 1961 by Toronto Maple Leafs owner Stafford Smythe in an attempt to rival the OHA, and act as a farm system for his NHL team. The league operated for two seasons from 1961 to 1963...
in the 1962–63 season. The team and the league folded after the end of the season.
Stavro stepped down as Chairman of MLSE in 2003 in favour of Tanenbaum, as part of a restructuring plan that also saw him sell his majority stake to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan , commonly referred to as Teachers, is the organization responsible for administering pensions for public school teachers of the Canadian province of Ontario. The OTPP also invests the plan's pension fund, making it one of the largest and most powerful investment...
. Jim Leech, OTTP Senior Vice President of Private Equity (also known as the Teachers' Merchant Bank
Merchant bank
A merchant bank is a financial institution which provides capital to companies in the form of share ownership instead of loans. A merchant bank also provides advisory on corporate matters to the firms they lend to....
), had orchestrated the deal after the closure of Stavro's Knob Hill Farms grocery chain, giving rise to rumours that the financial state of MLSE could also be affected. Stavro received a luxury box
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
as part of the deal, which caused some controversy as several disabled season-ticket holders were displaced without notification.
Honours
- Honorary lifetime director of the Royal Agricultural Winter FairRoyal Agricultural Winter FairThe Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, colloquially called The Royal, is an annual fall fair in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which takes place over two weeks in November...
- Honorary director of the Ontario Jockey Club
- 1993, TOBA Award as North American Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year
- 1992, Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
- 1992, City of Toronto Award of Merit
- 1992, Beth Sholom Brotherhood Humanitarian Award
- 1991, Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
Award of Distinction - 1988, Decorated Knight Commander, Knights of Malta
- 1987, Man of the Year, Kupat Holim, Canadian chapter
- 1985, Canadian Award, John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Foundation
- 1980, The Knight of the Golden Pencil Award, Food Industry Association of Canada
Other achievements
Stavro was a director of the Liquor Control Board of OntarioLiquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
, a member of the Executive Committee of the Economic Council of Canada
Economic Council of Canada
The Economic Council of Canada is a former Crown corporation that was owned by the Government of Canada and was established in 1963 under the Economic Council of Canada Act....
, a trustee of the Ontario Jockey Club, and honorary campaign chairman of Toronto East General Hospital Emergency Critical Care Fund (1987–89).
Stavro was a founding sponsor of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
and a member of its advisory council, founding member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, corporate member of 4-H Canada, member of the board of directors of the John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Foundation, member of the advisory council for the Equine Research Centre, member of the Jockey Club of Canada
Jockey Club of Canada
The Jockey Club of Canada was formed in 1973 to oversee thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the club is responsible for the annual Sovereign Awards program and the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee.Founding members:...
, member of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, and a member of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) of Lexington, Kentucky.