As this year's Maple Leaf press guide put it, ''He continues to defy his critics and dumbfound his detractors by basically just doing whatever he pleases, regardless of what anyone else thinks. To order copies of All October 12, 1925 - November 25, 2016 Salem, Virginia Set a Reminder for the Anniversary of Harold's Passing. In 1969, Ballard and Stafford Smythe were charged with tax evasion and accused of using Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. to pay for their personal expenses. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. His acquisition of the Leafs, one of Canada's most revered properties, came shortly before Mr. Ballard served a year in jail on a fraud conviction for diverting money from the Gardens' accounts to his own. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [30] Even before his death, there had been battles between his children, Bill Ballard, Harold Ballard Jr., and Mary Elizabeth Flynn, and his longtime companion, Yolanda Ballard. Resend Activation Email. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. None of the three was wearing a life jacket. Edit your searchor learn more U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Draft, Enlistment and Service View Record information. His disregard for his father's companion, the convicted fraud artist Yolanda MacMillan, made headlines when he was found guilty of assaulting her during an incident at Maple Leaf Gardens and fined $500. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A celebration of life is planned for the Granite Club when pandemic restrictions are lifted. As a young man, he loved working with horses on his aunt and uncles farm. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Lone Eagle Entertainment, Sam Lim DEARBORN, Mo. Imlach was never officially fired, but when he tried to return to his office in November, he found that his parking spot at Maple Leaf Gardens had been reassigned and Gerry McNamara had been made acting general manager. Keon was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Mr. Ballard was a victor mostly, though nervy, cunning, garrulous, generous, protective of friends, formidable as an adversary and sharp as a tack, by all accounts. And so, at the age of 25, armed with a law degree from Osgoode, son Bill stepped in and became director and vice-president of Maple Leaf Gardens. When his cantankerous father returned from prison, Mr. Ballard was demoted, though he stayed on the board and kept his large chunk of common stock in the company. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. [15] Ballard told the press that the real battle had been between Imlach and Eagleson, and Sittler just got caught in the crossfire. The court awarded her $91,000.[32]. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. He could not get enough of his grandma's cooking. In September 1981, after Imlach had another heart attack during training camp, Ballard told the media that Imlach's poor health meant that "he's through as general manager". At the time, the CFL still consisted of two autonomous conferences. Phone: (828) 428-2460 Fax: (828) 428-4154 1101 East Maiden Road, P.O. With Ballard's support, Imlach moved to dismantle the roster and undermine Sittler's influence, despite many analysts viewing the team as having a promising future. 1910 United States Federal Census. Face masks are required. rights reserved. He said Yolanda would often show up on road trips. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. All Work and All Play: A Life in the Outrageous Sport, p. 124, John Wiley and Sons Canada Ltd., Mississauga, ON, 2005. "Any time we were in trouble, and we were in trouble far more often than I'd like to remember, Harold was there for us.". In the early 1970s, Ballard made an application for a second Canadian Football League team to be based in Toronto, to play at Varsity Stadium. [1] For the 1962 season, Ballard tried to introduce a hockey-style penalty box to soccer, but the rule change was not allowed by FIFA. One of them was Bernie Finkelstein, who with partner Bernie Fiedler was a major booker in Toronto in the early 1970s. Harold Quinten Ingram, 78, of Hickory, passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on Thursday . As a reward for his role in the purchase, Ballard was named executive vice president of Maple Leaf Gardens, alternate governor of the Maple Leafs and chairman of the team's hockey committee. Shortly after taking control of the Leafs, Ballard stood trial on 49 counts of fraud, theft and tax evasion involving $205,000. He was 86 years old and had spent most of the last two years in and out of hospitals because of diabetes-related heart problems. Ballard thus felt he had little financial incentive to sign better players. In 1965, he sold tickets for two Beatles concerts on the same day, although the contract called for only one. Along with a sister and a brother, Mr. Ballard grew up in the towering shadow of his father's loud, blustery life. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Harold Ballard Hurt Obituary Remember Harold Ballard Hurt. The committee came to be known as the "Silver Seven". Veteran. This article was published more than 8 years ago. They returned to Toronto where his father, English-born Sidney Eustace Ballard, founded Ballard Machinery Supplies Co., a sewing machine manufacturer, which at one point was one of Canada's leading manufacturers of ice skates (it went out of the business in the early 1930s, when the Canadian skate market was dominated by CCM). They married in 1957 and had two children before he filed for divorce. Though Imlach was gone, Sittler's relationship with the Leafs worsened again in the 198182 season and he was traded that year to the Philadelphia Flyers. David Blaine Steele, born in Titusville, PA on February 25, 1963, passed away February 24, 2023 one day before his 60th birthday. The Marlies won the Memorial Cup in 1955their first championship in 26 yearsand repeated the feat the following season. Commented former Leafs' captain, Ballard had special gold medals made up for the Canadian team, after they were expelled from the, At the same postgame show, Ballard proceeded to get into an on-air argument with Dick Beddoes, which involved Beddoes saying Ballard would be better suited to guessing weights at the, For his 85th birthday party, Ballard invited Hunt, who was then with the, Biographical information and career statistics from, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 17:05. One drunken, hollering student jumped into their front seat looking for a ride, scaring the kids in the back seat. The elder Ballard, shrewd and unshockable, approved of the slaughter, seeing it as allegorical. Years later, he told friends that someone eventually stole it from him. he asked. Preceded in death by his parents, William Wallace and Carrie Buford (Pinkard) Hurt; brother, William ("Bill") Wallace, Jr.; and sister, Frances Hurt. But Mr. Ballard became ill, called off the wedding and entered the hospital. Imlach never returned to work and his contract was allowed to expire. The biggest loss was goaltender Bernie Parent, a superstar in the making, who was offered a WHA contract with financial terms far beyond what Ballard was prepared to match. Featured Obituary. When the Leafs traded Sittler's close friend Lanny McDonald to the moribund Colorado Rockies on December 29, 1979, a member of the Leafs anonymously told the Toronto Star that Leafs management would "do anything to get at Sittler"[12] and was bent on undermining the captain's influence on the team. Keon was forced to move to the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints. Yolanda was born Jan. 3, 1933 in Fort William, Ont. Ballard was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as Edwin Harold Ballard. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. . Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the. Under Day and Ballard, the Nationals won the Memorial Cup at the end of the 193536 season. Forward to Family & Friends; Print; Contact Support; Upgrade; Death Certificates; Share This Obituary. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. She thought it was horrible, the way she was treated by certain members of the family, and she found it unfortunate they wouldnt recognize the status she had, Levitt said. In return, he was given an option to buy Maple Leaf Gardens shares from Ballard's estate. Not wanting to unnerve Mr. McDermott with the sight of an empty seat where his dad was supposed to be, Mr. Ballard spent the first half of the concert trying in vain to find a lookalike to pass for the senior McDermott. Harold met the love of his life, Anne Louise Dufek during his junior year. Along with Parent, Rick Ley, Jim Harrison, Brad Selwood, and Guy Trottier all left the Leafs for the WHA before the 197273 season, as did some minor league prospects in the Leafs' system as well as the team's minor league coach, Marcel Pronovost. For six years before World War I, Ballard and his family lived in Norristown, Pennsylvania. It didn't take long for one fish to devour the other, as is their nature. [13] Ballard would liken Sittler's actions to burning the Canadian flag. The executors of Ballard's will were Steve Stavro, Don Giffin and Don Crump. He first gained attention in the late 1960s on the football gridiron of his alma mater, Waterloo Lutheran (now Wilfrid Laurier University). [2] Just after the advent of colour television in Canada, the Maple Leafs installed a new lighting system. View Harold Edwin Ballard's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He was a big fish in a big pond, his appetite was the stuff of legend and he knew all about "eat or be eaten.". In 1973, the WHA moved the Ottawa Nationals to Toronto as the Toronto Toros. She fought with Ballard's family and partners over Ballard's estate following his death. Bill Ballard died of cancer on March 13 at the age of 67. Born Yolanda Babic, the daughter of Czech immigrants changed her name to Ballard in 1988, five years after first meeting the owner at the NHL clubs former home, Maple Leaf Gardens on Carlton Street, where he had an apartment. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I think there was a genuineness (to her caring) about his welfare, Stellick said. As a young man-about-town in Toronto's version of the Roaring Twenties, Mr. Ballard participated in speed-skating competitions, raced motorboats and drove a Pierce-Arrow. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Ballard fronted Stafford Smythe most of the $2.3 million purchase price. His parents were Clarence Buchholz and Ruth Preston Buchholz. [2] At a game in the Philadelphia Spectrum in the late 1970's, Mr. Ballard defended his friend, a hockey legend named King Clancy, when Mr. Clancy, a former player and N.H.L. The Leafs barely made the playoffs in 1980, finishing five games below .500. Make a Memorial Donation . When you have found an obituary of interest, you have the option of upgrading that obituary with more recent and relevant content unless the obituary is already assigned to another user. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. obit@globeandmail.comSend us a memory of someone we have recently profiled on the Obituaries page. Steve Stavro, who would succeed Ballard as Leafs owner 30 years later, was co-owner of the Toronto City team. Slapshots: The Best and Worst of 100 Years of Hockey. . They nearly duplicated that dubious achievement in 198788. In the mid-1970s the NHL, facing competition from the WHA, passed a rule that players' last names must be on the backs of their jerseys. He trained at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in fine arts. He had his own brand of patriotism. This became clear when the arena was dim for the first game. BALLARD, YOLANDA ANNA January 3, 1933 - June 3, 2020 It is with the greatest of sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved Mother, Yolanda Ballard. After losing the battle to gain control of Maple Leaf Gardens, Mr. Ballard got out of the concert promotion business. Try again later. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Canadian businessman and sportsman (19031990). Under coach Harry Watson, the team won the Allan Cup in 1932. She was indeed because I personally witnessed it Harolds companion always.. Neilson did return, without the paper bag. In 1990, Harold Ballard died, irascible and overripe at 86. It was the second time in three years that they had made the playoffs despite finishing with a winning percentage below .400. In 1955, she met Bill MacMillan, the son of a noted magistrate. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. In 1974, when Bassett put the Toronto Argonauts up for sale, Ballard offered to buy the team for $3 million, but his offer was rejected. On the night of the singer's first major concert at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, the plan was to put the spotlight on Mr. McDermott's father in the audience during the show. [27] According to Duguid, Ballard had been willing to pay as much as $15 million so he could buy and relocate the San Francisco Giants to Toronto, even though the franchise was only worth around $8 million. Ballard to Ottawa writer Earl McRae in the 1980s. Ballard was made business manager. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1977) and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1987). Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball, Stephen Brunt, p.33, Penguin Books. 03/28/1925 - 11/15/2019 . Bill was born in Saint John on July 25th, 1951, son of the late Harold and Florence (nee Keir) Ballard. When he relented, Yolanda knowing he had also spent time behind bars, for fraud in 1972 reportedly broke the ice by saying: Weve got something in common. Harold Ballard and Yolanda Ballard took out a marriage license last January in the Cayman Islands. Harold was born in Seneca, SC on September 15, 1940, son of the late John Malcom and Eunice Tucker Sheriff. Within three years under the new owners, profits at the Gardens had tripled to just under $1 million. She was a canning manager and was a. BALLARD, JEAN LORENA Jean Lorena Ballard, age 90, passed away Sunday, July 28, 2013 at Rose Haven Assisted Living Center in Menahga, MN. He was so. Yolanda Ballard, the former companion of crusty Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard who became a central figure in the circus surrounding the franchise in the 1980s and 90s, has died. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. He also removed the cushions from the home bench for Toros' games (he told an arena worker, "Let 'em buy their own cushions!") Soon after taking over as majority owner, he forced out several longtime front-office personnel and replaced them with his own men. We are constantly trying to improve our data and make the search for obituaries as easy as possible. Many years ago, a young Bill Ballard and his brother, Harold Ballard Jr., presented their father with a pair of piranhas in an aquarium for Christmas. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. After being threatened with a large fine, Ballard "complied" by putting the names in blue letters on the Leafs' blue road jerseys, and in white on their white home jerseys, making them unreadable.