Is the curse over?

It's 1967. The Leafs have just won a Stanley Cup, their fourth in six years! But as the champagne began to flow, a dark shadow began to creep across the ice at Maple Leaf Gardens.

That Shadow was Harold Ballard.

Ballard was beginning to make his move, whispering into influential ears, launching his plan to take over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

By 1972 Ballard had complete control over the team. His term as the Leafs' owner was marked by fights with key players, including Keon, McDonald, and Sittler, poor win/loss records, and not a single Stanley Cup championship. It was a dark time for the team.

The storied franchise known as the Toronto Maple Leafs have not touched the cup since.

But is that about to change?

In 1983, a new cement pad was laid at Maple Leaf Gardens. Harold Ballard's footprints, along with a date were etched into the drying cement, serving as a long lasting reminder of the mans control over this team.

As the Loblaws/Ryerson University renovation continues at the historic building, construction crews unearthed the footprints. After contacting the Hockey Hall of Fame it was decided the slab of cement would be dug out, and donated to the HHOF (see article here!)

With Ballard's final mark on the team removed, will the curse of Harold Ballard finally be lifted? Can the Leafs once again claw their way to Lord Stanley's mug, earning the respect of the hockey world?

Or is there a new curse just beginning to take shape ....