Former MLSE CEO Richard Peddie discusses similarities and differences between now and his time with franchise
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment President and CEO Keith Pelley has found himself under fire over the past year for his rumoured involvement in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ trade-deadline process, his media presence, and his hiring of John Chayka as the team’s next general manager.
Peddie was the CEO for 14 years, a stretch that spanned from October 1998 to December 2011. Only near the end of Peddie’s tenure did Twitter (now X) start to grow, whereas today there are countless media streams fans can turn to when they want to express their frustration. Peddie spoke about the differences between the era when he was running the team and today’s world.
“I’m not sure I can even comprehend because I’m not in the storm. I got death threats, but you got those from a crude letter or a crank phone call, until I finally woke up to a non-listed phone number,” Peddie said. “Now, you say almost anything, and you have people threatening your life and calling you whenever they want to. It’s infinitely worse than when I was there.”
“Our vision was to win on and off the playing field. Off the playing field, financial enterprise value, we kicked ass. On the playing field, we fell short during my time, so that’s a great regret,” Peddie said. “One half of the equation, it was an exceptional place to work. We had 800 employees over the course of my 14 years, and I think now 100 of them have gone on to be vice presidents or presidents, so that’s a win for me. It’s everything for me, and the toughest area was sports because there’s one championship. There’s 29 losers (now 31), and one winner, the ultimate meritocracy of sports.”
The fans and media have been very critical of Pelley, whether it was his firings, hirings, or some of the smaller decisions that have come out surrounding the organization. Fan noise is something that will always be involved in sports because of the passion that people have for the teams they root for. Peddie touched on whether outside noise ever played into his decision-making process.
“You’re human, so it’s going to be in the back of your mind. But there’s a great quote, and some fans may not like this one. If you start listening to the fans, you’ll soon be sitting with them,” Peddie said. “You have to sit back and do the best you can. Surround yourself with the best brains, best assets, best training facilities and best travel. Obviously, they buy the tickets, they eat the hot dogs, and you’ve got to be mindful of them, but I always liked the expression, you start listening too much, you’re going to be sitting beside them.”
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