The Day Anne Murray Nearly Became Owner Of The Toronto Maple Leafs
For millions of fans, Anne Murray will always be remembered as the warm, unmistakable voice behind timeless hits like “Snowbird” and “Could I Have This Dance.” But during the mid-1980s, the beloved Canadian superstar briefly found herself connected to a story so unexpected that many people still struggle to believe it happened at all.
Anne Murray almost bought the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The story sounds almost surreal now. One of the biggest recording artists in North America joining a group of investors attempting to purchase one of hockey’s most historic franchises from controversial owner Harold Ballard. Yet in February 1985, Anne herself openly confirmed the reports during an interview with CBC News, and her enthusiasm was impossible to miss.
“Anyone who’s ever read anything or knows anything about me knows that I’m the most avid hockey fan ever,” she said with genuine excitement. “I mean, I’m an avid sports fan, but hockey, in particular, has been my love for a long time.”
For longtime fans of Anne Murray, the revelation actually made perfect sense.
Long before celebrity sports ownership became fashionable, Anne Murray was already deeply identified with hockey culture in Canada. Born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, she grew up in a country where hockey was woven directly into everyday life, especially during long Maritime winters. Like countless Canadian families, evenings often revolved around radios, televisions, frozen ponds, and dreams connected to the game.
What made Anne different was how openly and passionately she embraced that identity even after becoming an international music star. She never tried to distance herself from her small-town Canadian roots. In many ways, hockey remained one of the strongest emotional links connecting her to home.
During the interview, Anne laughed about the entire situation, clearly amused that the story had become national news. She admitted she was not entirely sure what role she would have played had the deal actually succeeded. When jokingly asked whether she would stand behind the bench directing the team, she quickly dismissed the idea with humor, saying she would not have had anything to do with coaching decisions.
“But it would have been kind of fun,” she smiled.
That small sentence revealed something important about Anne Murray’s personality. Despite her polished public image and enormous success, she always retained an approachable, grounded quality. Fans sensed that she genuinely loved hockey not as a publicity tool, but as a lifelong passion.
The financial side of the story also captured attention at the time. Anne acknowledged that her investor group had reportedly offered around forty million dollars for the Maple Leafs, while Harold Ballard wanted closer to one hundred million. In retrospect, the numbers feel almost unbelievable considering the modern value of NHL franchises, but in 1985 it represented an enormous and ambitious proposal.
The deal, of course, never happened.
Still, the image of Anne Murray potentially sitting among NHL ownership circles remains one of the most fascinating “what if” moments in Canadian entertainment and sports history. It also reflected a broader truth about her career: Anne Murray was never easily confined to a single identity. She was not simply a singer. She was a proud Canadian cultural figure whose interests stretched far beyond recording studios and television appearances.
Looking back today, the story carries a warm kind of nostalgia because it belongs to an era when celebrities still felt surprisingly human. Anne Murray discussing hockey ownership sounded less like corporate business strategy and more like a passionate fan daring to dream big.
There is also something uniquely Canadian about the entire memory. In few other countries could one of the nation’s most celebrated vocalists become front-page news simply for trying to buy a hockey team.
And perhaps that is why the story continues to endure decades later.
Behind the awards, platinum records, and television appearances was still the same hockey-loving girl from Nova Scotia who never lost her excitement for the game she grew up loving.