Tim Leiweke is making headlines just weeks into his tenure as the new President and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.
In an interview with
Bloomberg News Monday, Leiweke laid out his intentions of increasing the value of the sports conglomerate and to putting the Toronto Maple Leafs, the MLS’s Toronto FC and NBA’s Toronto Raptors on a positive and winning track.
As the former boss of the Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG), Leiweke oversaw a total of nine championships in the MLS, NBA and NHL and is not shy about proclaiming that as a goal for his new franchises.
“If you can all dream about that and get that in your mind, we’ll have something we’re all driven toward.” Leiweke said
The most boastful comments made were regarding the Maple Leafs soon ending their long streak of playoff ineptitude by winning the Stanley Cup and that he is already prepared for that eventuality, having mapped out the parade route for a post-Cup victory celebration.
“I have it planned out and it’s going to be fantastic.”
Leiweke is of the belief that putting a winning team on the ice would make the Maple Leaf brand among the most popular in professional sports.
“If you look around world, the great brands are Real Madrid, Manchester United. The Yankees, the Cowboys and the Lakers are there. We should aspire with the Maple Leafs to be there.”
At the center of Leiweke’s plan of future success is GM Dave Nonis, who took over for the deposed Brian Burke last January.
Nonis was signed to a multi-year contract extension by the Leafs last summer, but Leiweke indicated that a further extension is in the works.
“We’ll probably have some news on that very soon, I’m a big Dave Nonis fan, and I want a culture here that is different than the one I stepped into.”
Leiweke stated in the interview that he saw an upside in the Leafs gut-wrenching third period collapse in Game 7 of the first round loss to Boston, calling it “the best thing that could have happened to” the club as a point of motivation going forward.
“I think they need a few ass-kickings, and that’s one that will stay with them for a long time,” Leiweke said “I think it will pay huge dividends in the long term no matter how painful it was.”
One thing that the new MLSE boss appears intent on doing is to live in the present and the future and not revel in the rich history of the franchise, including the club’s last great dynasty that won four Stanley Cups between 1962 and 1967.
“I don’t want the players walking in the hallways of the Air Canada Centre and seeing pictures from 1962,” Leiweke said. “Get rid of those pictures and tell them, this is your legacy.”
There are many things that Leiweke intends to do that could be big positives for the Maple Leafs going forward, but deciding to move on or deemphasize the club’s history is not one of them.
You do not see the Boston Bruins taking down photos and statues of Bobby Orr, the Black Hawks forgetting about Bobby Hull or the Red Wings removing all references to Gordie Howe because their franchises had not won championships in decades.
Photos of Frank Mahovlich, Johnny Bower, Terry Sawchuk and Dave Keon should remain as a reminder to current Leafs players that the greats of the game who once wore Blue and White and how long it has been since the franchise won the ultimate prize.
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