>> that's doesn't make much sense Not sure I follow you. The Maple Leafs are one of, if not the richest team in hockey. They're rich because they've got incred

>> that's doesn't make much sense Not sure I follow you. The Maple Leafs are one of, if not the richest team in hockey. They're rich because they've got incredibly rabid fans who will pay whether the team wins or loses, and prices generally go up in Toronto, not down. Most of my forty-some-odd-years have been "lean" years for the Leafs. For a long time, the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan owned a huge chunk of the Leafs, and there was little to no interest in spending what it took to produce a Stanley Cup winner, just some occasional lip service. Taxes might be a factor, but less so for hockey than other sports. Toronto has a lot of cachet for being one of the Original Six (one of the reasons why Babcock chose Toronto over Buffalo) and for being one of the major focal points for hockey fandom.