of Union Station. Then, on February 12, 1998, after years of difficult negotiations, Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. purchased 100% of both the Toronto Raptors and the new arena that was under construction, from Allan Slaight and the Bank of Nova Scotia. Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. paid a reported $467 million for both assets, with $179 million attributable to the team and $288 million attributable to the arena under construction. Stavro personally took the lead in significantly revising and upgrading the arena as a top tier entertainment venue. On February 20, 1999 the Scotiabank Arena (formerly known as the Air Canada Centre), was opened to the public. This opening marked a new era of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey. The first game at the new arena took place against historic rivals the Montreal Canadiens. The Toronto Maple Leafs would go on to win the game 3-2 on an overtime goal by Steve Thomas. In the same year MLG Ventures Limited purchased all the remaining publicly traded shares of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. and took it private. Following this purchase Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. and MLG Ventures Limited amalgamated to form Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE). Following the creation of MLSE, Stavro continued to exercise control of the company through the following share structure. MLG Holdings Limited held a 51% interest in MLSE. Stavro owned 55% of this holding company and the minority shareholders were Kilmer Sports Inc. (25%) and TD Capital Group (20%). The remaining 49% of MLSE was owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. This tiered ownership structure gave Stavro effective control of MLSE with only a net 28% stake. In contrast to Harold Ballard, who gained much media attention for his cantankerous behaviour, Stavro was a dignified man who did not seek the spotlight in hockey operations and entrusted management of the team to experienced executives and staff. The first period of hockey success was led by general manager Cliff Fletcher. In the 1992–93 campaign, the Maple Leafs had their first winning season in 14 years, coming within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Leafs again made the Conference Finals the following season. During the tenure of head coach and general manager Pat Quinn from 1999 to 2002, the team was an annual contender, clinching a Northeast Division title in the 1999-2000 season, notching the first two 100-point seasons in franchise history, and making two Eastern