Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Completes Reorganization

On July 1, 2003, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) completed a reorganization of its ownership structure, following the sale by Steve Stavro of his interest, and the reorganization by the shareholders of their investments in MLSE. The MLSE shareholders are: Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, through its private equity arm, Teachers’ Merchant Bank, 58 per cent; Bell Globemedia Inc., 15 per cent; TD Capital Group, 14 per cent; and Kilmer Sports Inc., 13 per cent.

MLSE was represented in-house by Robin Brudner, vice-president, general counsel and corporate secretary; and assisted in Canada, by Celia Rhea and Donald Henderson (financing) of Goodmans LLP, and Chris Johnston, Q.C., and Leslie Milton of Johnston & Buchan LLP in Ottawa; and in the U.S., by Dick Cass, Alec Scheiner and Sashi Brown of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, D.C.

Teachers’ was represented by in-house counsel Michael Padfield (investments); and by Lawrence Chernin and Susan Guttman (corporate) and Earl Miller (tax) of Goodman and Carr LLP.
Bell Globemedia was represented in-house by André Serero, group vice-president, legal, and corporate secretary; by Ruby Barber, senior counsel, BCE; by Ed Nordholm, Michael Siltala and Cornell Wright (corporate) and Jim Welkoff (tax) of Torys LLP; and by Kathy Robinson and Rob Malcolmson (regulatory) of Goodmans.

TD Capital Group was represented by Bob Aziz, senior vice-president and assistant general counsel, TD Bank Financial Group; and by Jay Swartz and Lisa Damiani (corporate) and Siobhan Monaghan and John Zinn (tax) of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP.

Kilmer Sports was represented by Dale Lastman, David Matlow and David Sherman (corporate) and Mitchell Sherman (tax) of Goodmans.

Steve Stavro was represented by Iain Morton, Michael Valihora and Marwan Awad (corporate) and Jerald Wortsman and Jason Vincze (tax) of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, and by Howard Wood in Toronto. MLSE’s lenders were represented by Henry Wiercinski, Sean Sorensen and Julie Ouellon-Wente of McCarthy Tétrault.