William Owen Sydney Ballard (November 10, 1946 – March 14, 2014) was a businessman and concert promoter. His father was

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

hockey mogul

Harold Ballard Harold Edwin Ballard (born Edwin Harold Ballard, July 30, 1903 – April 11, 1990) was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple ...

. The younger Ballard became a director and vice-president of

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

in 1972 when his father was sentenced to prison for fraud. Their relationship deteriorated after Harold Ballard's release from prison and return to Maple Leaf Gardens the following year though Bill Ballard remained on the MLG board until 1988 when his father removed him from the board and barred his concert promotion company from the Gardens. Bill Ballard was a founder of Concert Productions International (familiarly, CPI), a major promoter of rock concerts and tours in North America.http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4625731-1.html It was established in Toronto in 1973 as a subsidiary of WBC Productions Ltd by

Michael Cohl Michael Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and touring impresario. He is the former Chairman of Live Nation. Cohl now runs S2BN Entertainment, with offices in New York and Toronto. Having been named the Howard Hughes of ro ...

, William (Bill) Ballard, and David Wolinsky.
"Bill Ballard, son of Maple Leaf Gardens owner Harold Ballard. ... Ballard came into the company in 1973, enabling CPI") He was a co-founder of

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...

.https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/421090711.html?dids=421090711:421090711&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+08%2C+2003&author=Paul+Dalby&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Star+treatment&pqatl=google Ballard died of cancer in 2014 at the age of 67 and was survived by wife Renee and daughter Maryke.

References

1946 births 2014 deaths Music promoters Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Toronto Maple Leafs deaths from cancer in Ontario {{Canada-business-bio-stub