Latest news with #OriginalSix
Vancouver Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Tom Mayenknecht: Leafs and Knicks are big brands with small success
The New York Knicks and the Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot in common when it comes to their status as two of the leading heritage brands in their respective sports of basketball and hockey. In fact, they have had very similar trajectories — for better and for worse — over much of the past 50-plus years. Both franchises tug at the historical roots of the two leagues they have been synonymous with, since 1946 in the case of the Knicks and 1917 in the case of the Leafs. They represent two of the four biggest sport markets in North America, with the Knicks playing in the city that never sleeps — the biggest media market in the U.S. — and the Leafs in the dominant sports market in Canada. They play out of two of the busiest arenas in the world, with the Knicks calling the iconic Madison Square Garden home and the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena, branded with the biggest naming rights deal in the world ($40 million per annum and $800 million over 20 years). The Knicks and the Leafs have been traditionally at or near the top of the Forbes franchise valuation lists since those enterprise value estimates were first created in baseball in 1998. New York is third on the current NBA franchise valuation list at $7.7 billion US while the $3.8 billion US Maple Leafs have led NHL valuations in recent years. New York drives an estimated $543 million US in annual revenues while the Leafs reportedly grossed more than $308 million US last year. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The similarities are not limited to the dollars and cents that are central to the business of sport, with both franchises failing to consistently do as well in basketball operations on the court and in hockey operations on the ice as they have done in business. Outside of the 1950s, the early 1970s and the mid-1990s, the Knicks have had more than their share of frustration when it comes to championship-contending teams. Their championship drought dates back to 1970 and 1973. The last two times they made the eastern conference finals was in 1994 and 1999. Going into this year, all that they have had to show for the last quarter-century are division titles in 2013 and 2020. The Leafs shared the limelight with the Knicks in the mid-1990s, last making the eastern conference finals of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs in 1994. Their last Stanley Cup victory at the end of the Original Six era in 1967 has become the stuff of legend. That was 57 years ago. And that's where the two storied teams went on divergent paths this past week. The Knicks eliminated the defending Larry O'Brien Trophy holders — the Boston Celtics — to reach this week's eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. That keeps them alive for a chance to win their first championship in 52 years. And the television numbers will reflect that potential. The Leafs were in a similar position, playing against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in an eastern conference final that saw them an overtime goal away from a 3-0 best-of-seven series lead. That's where the Leafs took a wrong turn. And yet again, they are empty-handed after another missed opportunity for the core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. The Game 7 loss last Sunday night effectively closed the door on the Brendan Shanahan era and a team presidency that goes back 11 years. It isn't what the scriptwriters were looking for in the rebuild of the mid-2010s. All that's for sure is that there are more questions than answers in Toronto this week. And it's over to the Edmonton Oilers as Canada's last chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. Tom Mayenknecht is the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Vancouver-based sport business commentator and principal in Emblematica Brand Builders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Mayenknecht at: .
Edmonton Journal
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Tom Mayenknecht: Leafs and Knicks are big brands with small success
Article content The Leafs shared the limelight with the Knicks in the mid-1990s, last making the eastern conference finals of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs in 1994. Their last Stanley Cup victory at the end of the Original Six era in 1967 has become the stuff of legend. That was 57 years ago. And that's where the two storied teams went on divergent paths this past week. The Knicks eliminated the defending Larry O'Brien Trophy holders — the Boston Celtics — to reach this week's eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. That keeps them alive for a chance to win their first championship in 52 years. And the television numbers will reflect that potential. Bears-of-the-Week The Leafs were in a similar position, playing against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in an eastern conference final that saw them an overtime goal away from a 3-0 best-of-seven series lead. That's where the Leafs took a wrong turn. And yet again, they are empty-handed after another missed opportunity for the core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. The Game 7 loss last Sunday night effectively closed the door on the Brendan Shanahan era and a team presidency that goes back 11 years. It isn't what the scriptwriters were looking for in the rebuild of the mid-2010s. All that's for sure is that there are more questions than answers in Toronto this week. And it's over to the Edmonton Oilers as Canada's last chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pelley: Maple Leafs won't fill president's role after Shanahan's dismissal
TORONTO – The Maple Leafs' president's chair will remain vacant. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment czar Keith Pelley says the conglomerate doesn't plan to fill the hockey team's top job after announcing Thursday that Brendan Shanahan's contract won't be renewed. The Hockey Hall of Famer spent 11 seasons in Toronto and rebuilt the floundering Original Six franchise, but was unable to break through in the playoffs despite a boatload of offensive talent led by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Pelley, MLSE's president and chief executive officer, spoke to reporters at Scotiabank Arena on Friday afternoon. The Leafs won just two of 11 series under Shanahan's watch with six consecutive Game 7 losses. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The most recent defeat came at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in a second-round matchup that saw Toronto suffer 6-1 losses in its last two games on home ice to seal both the Leafs' and Shanahan's fate. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Edmonton Journal
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Bruins give GM Don Sweeney a 2-year extension to lead rebuild after first playoff miss since 2016
Article content Neely said Sweeney has been searching for a new coach while also preparing for the draft. 'I am confident in the plan he has followed these past few months — and excited for what's to come for our team,' the former Bruins forward said of the former Bruins defenseman. 'The expectations in Boston have always been clear. It's about winning championships.' A veteran of 16 seasons in the NHL, all but one of them in Boston, Sweeney took over the Original Six franchise's front office in 2015 and was given the league's General Manager of the Year Award in 2019 after the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final. He has also served as GM for Team Canada in its 4 Nations Face-Off victory this winter, and will serve as the country's assistant GM for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. 'It's an honor to be part of a franchise with such a storied history and passionate fanbase,' Sweeney said. 'I fully understand and embrace the responsibility that comes with this role. Our fans have high expectations for this team, and so do I. The collective goal is to build a team that makes Bruins fans proud and ultimately brings another Stanley Cup back to Boston.'
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Why Rangers' Mike Sullivan hire isn't same-old, same-old — and the looming questions coach must answer
Access the Rangers beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting member-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers. tRY IT NOW The Rangers are doing this for the third time over the past five springs. Every other year, there is a coaching search. Every other year, there is an introductory news conference for the man of the hour. Thursday morning, it will be Mike Sullivan's turn to step into the spotlight, take the mic and answer the generic inquiries about systems, expectations, communication and the weight of this Original Six job that are posed biennially to the incoming coach. Advertisement There are, however, questions that will be unique to this coach in this circumstance. Here is a sample: Q: Gerard Gallant, born on Sept. 2, 1963, was 57 years old when hired after coaching multiple NHL teams. Peter Laviolette, born on Dec. 7, 1964 (in Franklin, Mass.), was 58 when he was hired after coaching multiple NHL teams. Sullivan, born on Feb. 27, 1968 (in Marshfield, Mass.) is 57 after having coached multiple NHL teams.
