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- The history of the Toronto Maple Leafs spans more than a century whose origins begins with the establishment of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL arose from disputes between Eddie Livingstone, owner of the National Hockey Association's Toronto Blueshirts, and the other owners of the Association. In November 1917, the Toronto Arena Company was granted a temporary franchise from the NHL, a new ice hockey league made up of the other NHA owners that had disputes with Livingstone. The franchise was later made permanent by the NHL in October 1918. Playing at Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arenas won the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals following the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season. In 1919, the club was sold to the St. Patrick Hockey Club. Under new ownership, the club was renamed the Toronto St. Patricks. Although the St. Patricks won one Stanley Cup, in 1922, the club was again put up for sale due following a series of litigations from Livingstone. The club was eventually sold to Conn Smythe in 1927, who immediately renamed the team to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club. In an effort to finance the construction of Maple Leaf Gardens, Smythe launched Maple Leaf Gardens Limited (MLGL, later renamed Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment in 1998), a publicly traded management company to own both the Maple Leafs and the planned arena. The Maple Leafs played their first game at Maple Leaf Gardens in November, 1931. For most of the 1930s, the team was led by The Kid Line. The line led the Maple Leafs to win the 1932 Stanley Cup, as well as four more Stanley Cup appearances in the following six years. As a result of the Great Depression, a number of NHL franchises financially struggled, suspended operations and folded. By the 1942–43 NHL season, the Maple Leafs were one of six remaining members in the NHL. The Maple Leafs saw tremendous success during the "Original Six-era" (from the 1942–43 to the 1966–67 season), winning the Stanley Cup in 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, and 1949. Following the Maple Leafs 1951 Stanley Cup victory, the team saw an 11-year championship drought. Prior to the 1961–62 NHL season, Conn Smythe sold nearly all of his shares in MLGL to a partnership made up of his son, Stafford Smythe, John Bassett, and Harold Ballard. The Maple Leafs found new success during the 1960s, winning the Stanley Cup in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. Winning their last championship in Centennial Year prior to the 1967 NHL expansion, the Maple Leafs' drought between Stanley Cups is the longest active drought in the NHL. In 1971, Ballard secured principal ownership of MLGL. During the 1970s, the Maple Leafs saw some success, only failing to qualify for the playoffs once in the decade. However, the Maple Leafs would fail to post a winning record for 12 years, from 1980–81 to 1992–93. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the team saw a resurgence in competitive play, missing the playoffs only twice from 1993 to 2004. In February 1999, the Maple Leafs moved from Maple Leaf Gardens, to their new home arena, the Air Canada Centre. Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, the Maple Leafs saw a seven-year playoff drought, failing to qualify for the playoffs from the 2006 to 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. In August 2012, BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications completed the purchase for a combined 70 percent stake in MLSE. Shortly after the end of the 2013–14 season, Brendan Shanahan was appointed the president and alternate governor of the hockey club. (en)
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