It is the Summer of 1988. Harold Ballard, as was often the case, was in a foul mood. His Toronto Maple Leafs had finished 2nd-last with just 52 points in 1987-88, and went 4-16-0 over the last quarter of the season. Shockingly, the Leafs somehow made the playoffs (with one point more than Minnesota), setting a record for lowest win percentage (.325) in NHL history for a team that qualified for the postseason (and played at least 70 games).
The NHL landscape had just experienced a seismic shift: just a few days earlier, Wayne Gretzky had been traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles, after Edmonton had won four cups in five years. This meant that the Edmonton Dynasty could be vulnerable, and the Norris Division winner may not simply be a speed bump for the Oilers on their way to the Cup Final. The Smythe could also become a bloodbath, with Edmonton, L.A. and Calgary all battling for supremacy.
Ballard decided enough was enough. He was rich, he was powerful… and now he wanted to be a winner. But he had zero faith in his current infrastructure; the Leafs hadn’t been above .500 in a decade, and so far in the 80s Toronto was averaging just 25 wins and 60 points per season.
His partner Yolanda came to him with a suggestion: there was a consultant who had worked on a project for Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd., and could be a good fit. He didn’t have a hockey background, but that could be a GOOD thing. He was young-ish (mid-30s), educated and already had some experience with the behind-the-scenes environment at the Gardens.
Harold immediately told Yolanda to hire him, no matter the cost… as long as the cost was cheap. Yolanda reached her target on the phone shortly thereafter and the consultant, a man named Jason Taylor, was asked to come down to Maple Leaf Gardens for an urgent meeting. Taylor was at the Gardens an hour later, and sat down in Harold Ballard’s office. Ballard informed him that as of this moment, Taylor was the General Manager and Head Coach of the Maple Leafs. Taylor was shocked; didn’t Gord Stellick get the job just four months ago? Ballard bluntly told him that Stellick and John Brophy had already been fired and sent home. Ballard then laid it out: the Leafs needed to become a winner. He was willing to rebuild, but only if it was quick. As Taylor shook Ballard’s hand, he asked: “Any advice?” Ballard looked him in the eye and said “Don’t f**k this up”. And with that Taylor began his first day on the job.
