Michael said:
Either because of people's age or because of a recency bias, the Boston lost seems to be getting more play here than I expected.
Imagine this, if you were not around back then....... or even if you were:
When Roger Neilson replaced Kelly in 1977, Ballard faced a new problem: a coach who preferred improving the team over hanging out with the owner. Players raved about Neilson?s unconventional coaching methods, while the media dubbed him ?Captain Video? for his use of videotape to analyze the team?s performance. An envious Ballard devised unsuccessful attempts to embarrass Neilson, such as distracting his video review sessions on the road by sending a prostitute to his hotel room. Despite taking the team to the semi-finals during the 1978 playoffs, Ballard was eager to dispose of Neilson. The situation devolved into farce when, after retracting a March 1979 firing attempt when he couldn?t secure a replacement, Ballard tried to convince Neilson to approach the bench with a paper bag over his head. Neilson refused to go along.
Link
Yeah, I was there back then. And so were some of the older posters on this site, I presume.
Have you ever read the book entitled "67: The Leafs, their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire", written by Damien Cox & Gord Stellick? Chronicles how these supposedly washed up players won a Cup they had no business winning in the year 1967. It also details the brutal way in which Ballard & the Silver Seven ruthlessly made life miserable for the players, Ballard's mistreatment of Keon, Stafford Smythe who somehow got his owner father out, the repugnant personality of Punch Imlach, and so much more.
It's no surprise to have read of the tactics the crusty and bastardly Ballard would go to to get his way, as the article you posted proved concerning Roger Nielson.
I firmly remember, back in the very early '80's, my brother was working at a drug store/pharmacy downtown and one of the workers there was a friend/acquaintance of Ballard. When my brother asked him about whether Ballard wants to win a Cup, if he knew anything of that ilk or not, the reply, with emphasis, was: "Son, Harold E. Ballard does not want a Stanley Cup!"
My brother, upon his return home, said to me: " Told you, I was a hundred per cent correct when I deduced that Ballard could care less to win the Cup". I continued to refuse to believe, clinging to my somewhat misplaced belief that the Leafs would win soon. All true, as we Leaf fans of the day would come to the conclusion that all Ballard cared about was $$$, and nothing else.
The fact that Ballard went to jail (criminal financial activity) shows the character of the man from the outset. Another thing people may not know is that his wife Dorothy died of cancer, and some people believe it was after the death of his wife whom he called "the most loving, gentle Christian", that he became a gruffer, meaner, and more devious person.
He was part of the "Silver Seven", a business group that oversaw the Leafs operation, that included Stafford Smythe, and that engaged in dubious activities (prostitutes & drugs) even though many of these men including Ballard were married.
