Updated Mon. Apr. 24 2006 2:36 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Toronto businessman Steve Stavro, who once looked over the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team's director, has died at the age of 78.
He passed away Saturday night from a heart attack, Toronto Sun sports editor George Ross told The Canadian Press.
Ross said he had breakfast with Stavro on Saturday, and Stavro "complained about a pain in his shoulder."
Stavro was born on Sept. 27, 1927, in Gabresh, Macedonia. He grew up working at his family's grocery store and eventually opened his own in Toronto's east end.
From that store he created a chain called Knob Hill Farms. Stavro used money generated from his grocery business to invest in charities and sports, most notably hockey and soccer.
"He made a great contribution," former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman told CTV News.
"He worked himself up, he did it by himself and nobody did it for him, and he worked really hard."
Former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard made Stavro director of the NHL team. With financial support from the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and TD Bank, Stavro gained control of the Leafs in the early 1990s.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment then grew, as the organization added the Toronto Raptors National Basketball Association team and Air Canada Centre to its portfolio.
Stavro continued to divide his attention between his grocery stores and his sports interests. In 1991 he became a governor of the National Hockey League and chairman of the board of the Air Canada Centre, all while remaining president of Knob Hill Farms Ltd.
However, he eventually sold his interest in MLSE to Bell Globemedia in 2003, saying it would ensure "that Canada's teams -- the Leafs and the Raptors, will remain in Canada, in Canadian hands."
Meanwhile, Stavro's contribution to soccer led to his induction into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as a builder in 2005.
Among the various soccer leagues Stavro supported were the North American Soccer League and the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League.
He made a strong commitment to soccer in Toronto, helping to form the Toronto City Soccer Club in 1961.
Gross, who helped create the Toronto City soccer team, told CP that it was Stavro's "biggest joy."
Stavro a racing enthusiast
In addition to hockey and soccer, Stavro also enjoyed racing and created the successful "Knob Hill Stable." In 1992, it earned $1,894.248 with only 94 starters.
Among the stable's horses was Benburb, Canada's Horse of the Year that same year. Stavro was awarded with Sovereign Awards as Outstanding Owner and Breeder.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV's Paul Bliss
