Takin' a T/O with BT: 10 Thoughts About the Toronto Legacy

If you missed it last week, on Friday there was a press conference held to unveil the newest effort to bring a team to Canada.

Joining the likes of Jim Balsillie and former-Toronto Maple Leaf Kevin Maguire is Andrew Lopez, the latest businessman with the idea of owning a hockey team in the Southwestern Ontario area.

The motivational speaker and communications specialist has a vision so forward-thinking that the team name is already chosen, the jerseys are designed, the arena is already mapped out, and ticket prices are already in place, along with where the profits are going.

An organized pitch no doubt, but with the recent trauma between Balsillie and the NHL, the Toronto Legacy are seemingly the farthest thing from Gary Bettman's and Bill Daly's minds—or mind, but that's only if they've got that Bush/Cheney dynamic going on.

Which is plausible...and would explain a lot.

In the meantime though, the Toronto Legacy aren't going away—they've said they're prepared to wait for Bettman's answer, and it doesn't even have to be immediate because they aren't exactly pitching this to any "competitors."

So while we wait for Commissioner Gary to turn his attention, here are 10 things about the Toronto Legacy that are on my mind:

10. Expansion, not relocation

What Lopez is doing correctly in this situation, is that he's offering a plan to Gary Bettman should he ever decide to expand the league. Lopez has said that it doesn't matter if they look at it in "five years or 10 years" or if they look at it at all.

Whether there are questions surrounding the plan or not, Lopez comes off fairly favorably in this situation—at least more so than Balsillie has. Lopez hasn't gone and shoved the idea of another team down Bettman's throat—he's merely generated an organized proposal.

He also hasn't tried to hi-jack a current NHL franchise regardless of its financial standing, as he's behind the idea of growing a franchise from the ground up.

Instead of trying to steal a franchise North from the NHL overseer, Lopez simply has to wait and hope that Bettman looks favorably upon his strategy.

9. Giving Back to Charity

Lopez has stated that 25 percent of his team's profits will be split among charitable and non-profit organizations. Herb Carnegie and the Future Aces Foundation is said to be the first organization in line to receive funding from Lopez's plan, as Carnegie was at the press conference on Friday.

A noble endeavor, yes, and I think it's a great idea, but there is one thing nagging at me.

We know that in the business world, there are so many ulterior motives that it's become second nature for us to expect them.

Is it at all possible that Lopez is saying this, only to have the general public admire him for giving profits back to charities, and then to watch that public turn on Bettman when he denies Lopez the opportunity because "Bettman just shot down an act of good will?"

Fact is, it is possible. Is it the truth in this case? Most likely not.

I will give Lopez the benefit of the doubt because I choose to believe that his motives are good, and I don't think that Carnegie would be there (at the presser) otherwise.

If you also watch the Legacy's introductory video, they also make their message clear that this is about growing the sport and promoting good will and charity in the game, making this even more unlikely.

Sometimes the question has to be asked though.

8. No Prior Contact with the NHL

While No. 10 centred around the "calm" approach Lopez was taking to this pitch rather than Jim Balsille's slash-and-dash approach, Lopez has been honest about the fact that he hasn't had contact with the NHL just yet.

While the organized and less-aggressive approach is most likely better for Gary and company, what happened to people formerly asking behind closed doors to be a part of a league?

7. Respect for the NHL

Throughout all of this however, Lopez has said that he respects the NHL and the first minute they throw the lid on his plans, he's said he'll step down and won't cause any trouble.

First of all, that's great to hear: There are throngs of people who are sick and tired of the Balsillie thing. A person that doesn't get what he wants and leaves it at that in today's society is few and far between and has almost become a novelty.

It's kind of strange that Lopez talks of this respect for the NHL, but doesn't talk to them with his initial idea though. If you respected the league so much, wouldn't you formally and quietly go to them first?

Sidenote: I'll admit, I kind of cheated on this. This could've easily been a top-six list with four of these points just being rammed together based on who he talked to, when he talked to them, and almost any other logistical question you can think of.

Instead, I tried to stretch it to a top 10 list to make it seem organized. I think I pulled a hamstring.

6. Geography

I honestly don't mind having another team in the GTA, Southwestern Ontario, or whatever you'd like to call it. The team will make money, it'll develop a fan base, and it will be financial stable in a worst case scenario.

While a team in this area isn't a bad idea though, what about expansion to other parts of Canada. This part of the country already has the Leafs, the Ottawa Senators (if you want to travel a bit), the Buffalo Sabres, and the Detroit Red Wings (both American teams, but we've been known to jump the border for hockey), so what about something more West?

Because of the population concentration in Ontario the following may not be necessarily as large if the NHL considered Westerly expansion as opposed to Ontario, but seeing someone not from Ontario beg for an NHL franchise would be refreshing.

5. The "Arena"

While most teams are building concourses in their arenas and doing various projects around the city, Lopez and company seem to want to do everything in one fell swoop.

Not only will the Legacy's arena seat 30,000 fans (by far the most in any NHL building), but it'll have a swimming pool (One can only hope it's as cool as the one at Chase Field), an athletic centre, four outdoor skating rinks (The NHL Heritage Classic—all four games LIVE from Toronto!), an outdoor public space, and much more.

The Legacy and their ownership provided the area, not only with a professional sports franchise, but they also just set the community for life with all of the new features.

Before the team even takes to the ice, they're trying to involve the community, not just the fans, in the experience.

Sidenote: It's been forever since I've done two of these, however, this is a necessity. Is 30,000 seats too much for an NHL team?

Obviously we'll never know about site lines until we actually sit in the building, but it seems that this is a small step on the road to competing with 70,000-seat football stadiums.

Here's another question: Does this automatically become the loudest arena in the NHL thanks to so many people in such a close proximity, or does it become a dead crowd because of all the people trapped in such an open space?

Makes you think doesn't it.

4. $50 Tickets

Yes, that's right—something in the Toronto-area that's affordable.

Tired of waiting 12 years for a Leafs season ticket holder to die (or the less morbid option: move away) so that you can move up one spot on a 12-page waiting list (assuming each page carries 1,000 names)?

Want to be able to buy a pretzel or lease a car while planning on seeing an NHL game? Well, I'll be—you can do that now.

Affordable, available tickets. What a novelty. And did we mention: that's not just a section, that's half of the available seating!

Congratulations, someone finally gets the limits of an average family's income.

3. The Name

Bleacher Report writer Josh Lewis and I have already discussed this: The name "Toronto Legacy" makes this sound like a Major League Soccer franchise.

I've never understood why names like "Galaxy", "Legacy" and "Revolution" work specifically for soccer franchises but not in any other sport.

The fact is, that's the only sport (soccer) where a name like that will work. Especially for a team that has yet to build it's legacy.

What's even worse is that, in doing this you eliminate the most magical moment of a new franchises' existence: The "name your team" contest where potential fans send in names that may very well doom the team's chance at success for the next 20 years until it's moved to Wyoming, or they rename the team.

There's also the "name the mascot" competition, but what exactly would the mascot for a team called the Legacy be?

2. The Jerseys

First of all, because I haven't formally plugged it yet, here's the Toronto Legacy Web site in all of it's thunderous glory.

Scroll down and you'll find a link to download the jersey design.

To me, this looks a tad too All-Starish. The logo is very busy and I feel like I'm about to sit down for All-Star Weekend rather than an NHL game. The crest featuring the Toronto skyline is impressive, but could be more practical as a shoulder patch.

All in all, I don't like it. Then again I'm the guy who likes these jerseys, so what's that worth in the end.

1. Competition for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs have been steadfast in the defense of their territory ever since Jim Balsillie began his quest to "Make it Seven" with another team in the Hamilton Area.

The team that's been making money since 1917 is worried about their bottom line shrinking. The team that's been ranked as the richest, most-profitable, most-expensive and wallet-bludgeoning team in the league is worried about this?

Yeah, I buy that.

The fact that the $50 tickets are affordable for a family is an attractive draw for the Toronto Legacy, but the Leafs win out in prestige. If the Legacy were to come to fruition, the cross-over of people on the waiting list for Leafs tickets and people going to the Legacy games would be fairly high.

And in the end, it's the Leafs who have the Legacy. It's the Leafs who have the history. It's the Leafs who have the following.

Until booing a 21-year old goalie goes out of style, no one is going to stop following the Leafs. That's just the way it is.

What will happen though, is cross-over revenue. Because of the proximity, the Leafs will have another outlet for a small amount of NHL gear (kind of like you can buy other team's hats at Toronto Blue Jays games).

In the video on the front page of the Toronto Legacy Web site, they're also promoting the wearing of a Leafs jersey, which is a plus in the business world.

And what if the team falters? Well, then people will flock back to the Leafs as if nothing ever happened.

There may be a small drain on the budget for Toronto's first team, but in the grand scheme of things, the ability to market the rivalry, invade the premises with their merchandise, and cash-in on the fan-turnover between the two teams eventually outweighs it.

Try convincing the Leafs of that though.

All in all, the plan is fairly solid for Lopez and his group of investors.

The biggest catching points that he's already tackled are having the money and support to go forward—he has $1-billion Canadian lined up already—and having the actual plan in hand and not going through it without a clue.

Unfortunately, he's going to have to deal with Mr. Bettman sooner rather than later, and methinks after his court date, he won't be a very happy camper.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile or email him at [e-mail]. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.