Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment

Every time you buy a ticket to see NHL hockey in Toronto, say a little word of thanks to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. MLSE, as the company is referred to for short, owns not only the Maple Leafs but also their home venue, the Air Canada Centre, as well as the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, Leafs TV, the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptor's franchise and Raptors NBA TV. According to Hoovers.com, a website that provides inside business and industry information, "MLSE is asset-rich, but suffers under an enormous debt pile, despite being one of the most profitable private entertainment firms in Canada." Furthermore, various media outlets including Forbes magazine report that the Maple Leafs are the most valuable hockey franchise in the world at more than $300 million. Of course, who could possibly put a price on all of the fast-paced, exciting championship hockey the company has provided throughout the years?

The Man Who Runs Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment

The chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the man who essentially runs the Toronto hockey franchise, is Lawrence M. Tanenbaum. Joining Tanenbaum on the MLSE Board of Directors are Robert Bertram of the Onatrio Teachers' Pension Plan, James Leech and Dean Metcalf of Teachers' Merchant Bank, Ivan Fecan of Bell Globemedia, John MacIntyre of Td Capital Group, Dale Lastman of Goodmans LLP and Richard Peddie of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Among some of Tanenbaum and company's current projects are Maple Leaf Square, an entertainment complex that will be located next to the Air Canada Centre; Oshawa Arena, a venue that will serve as home to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League; and a future venue for a planned Major League Soccer expansion team in the city of Toronto. All things considered, there is little doubt that Larry Tanenbaum and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. have done wonderful things for sporting competition in the Ontario area.