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

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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.

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