Maple Leafs finish dead last in ranking of North American sports franchises

The puck has yet to drop on the 2014-15 NHL season but the Toronto Maple Leafs are already drawing criticism.

ESPN Magazine named the Maple Leafs the worst of 122 North American sports franchises in their annual ‘Ultimate Standings’ list, a survey of fans.

The ranking was based on eight categories, including affordability, coaching, fan relations, ownership, and bang for the buck – which was measured as wins in the past year, per fan dollars.

The Maple Leafs ranked last in both affordability and bang for the buck.

Other Toronto franchises fared a bit better with the Raptors ranked 74th overall while the Blue Jays were 81st.

The NBA’s San Antonio Spurs were proclaimed the top franchise, with the Anaheim Ducks ranked the top NHL franchise overall, sitting in second spot.

The NHL had four teams in the top 10 (Anaheim, Chicago, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay).

The Montreal Canadiens were the top cvanadian NHL franchise (42nd),  followed by Calgary (89th), Ottawa (92nd), Winnipeg (97th), Vancouver (112th) and Edmonton (115th).

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