In 1961, Smythe sold most of his shares to a three-person partnership formed by his son, Stafford Smythe, with Harold Ballard and John Bassett.
The new ownership added 962 new seats to the Gardens in 1962 and added a private club, The Hot Stove Club, the following year.
Even more seats were added in 1965 and new mezzanine galleries were constructed in 1966 and 1967.
By 1968, seating capacity for hockey had grown to 16,485.
This was achieved, in part, by making the seats narrower, so that—in the words of founder Conn Smythe—"only a young man could sit in them and only a fat old rich man could afford them."
A large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was removed to make room for more seats.
When asked why he removed the picture, Ballard replied, "She doesn't pay me, I pay her.
Besides, what the hell position can a queen play?"

The Leafs were so popular that the team sold out every game from 1946 to 1999.
It was often called the "Carlton Street Cashbox" in sports reporting.
Advertising was sold and placed throughout the building.

On November 8, 1963: Maple Leaf Gardens would be the first arena in the NHL to have separate penalty boxes.
The Beatles made a stop at Maple Leaf Gardens during each of their three North American tours: September 7, 1964, August 17, 1965, and August 17, 1966.
It was the only venue to host the group on each tour.

In March 1966, Conn Smythe resigned from the board of directors after a Muhammad Ali boxing match was scheduled for the Gardens.
He found Ali's comments about the Vietnam War to be offensive and said that by accepting the fight, Gardens owners had "put cash ahead of class."
 
The fight had been kicked out of every place in the U.S. because Clay is a draft dodger and a disgrace to his country.
The Gardens was founded by men — sportsmen — who fought for their country.
It is no place for those who want to evade conscription in their own country.
The Gardens was built for many things, but not for picking up things that no one else wants
— Conn Smythe, when informing John Bassett that he was resigning
Also in 1966, a new centre-hung scoreboard with a digital clock was installed replacing the SporTimer which was an analog clock.
One of the designers of the new scoreboard, Paul Morris, was by this time the arena's public address announcer, a job he would hold until the Leafs left the arena.

Ballard and the younger Smythe were accused in 1969 of stealing money from the corporation and avoiding income taxes by having Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. pay for many of their personal expenses.
The controversy created a rift between the two and Bassett, which led to Smythe and Ballard being fired from their management positions in 1969, only to win back control the following year.
In September 1971, Bassett sold his shares to Stafford Smythe and Ballard.
Just six weeks later, Smythe died.
His brother and son tried to keep the shares within the Smythe family, but in February 1972 all of Smythe's shares were purchased by Ballard, leaving him with majority ownership of the building and the Leafs.
In 1961, Smythe sold most of his shares to a three-person partnership formed by his son, Stafford Smythe, with Harold Ballard and John Bassett. The new ownership added 962 new seats to the Gardens in 1962 and added a private club, The Hot Stove Club, the following year. Even more seats were added in 1965 and new mezzanine galleries were constructed in 1966 and 1967. By 1968, seating capacity for hockey had grown to 16,485. This was achieved, in part, by making the seats narrower, so that—in the words of founder Conn Smythe—"only a young man could sit in them and only a fat old rich man could afford them." A large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was removed to make room for more seats. When asked why he removed the picture, Ballard replied, "She doesn't pay me, I pay her. Besides, what the hell position can a queen play?"
The Leafs were so popular that the team sold out every game from 1946 to 1999. It was often called the "Carlton Street Cashbox" in sports reporting. Advertising was sold and placed throughout the building.
On November 8, 1963: Maple Leaf Gardens would be the first arena in the NHL to have separate penalty boxes. The Beatles made a stop at Maple Leaf Gardens during each of their three North American tours: September 7, 1964, August 17, 1965, and August 17, 1966. It was the only venue to host the group on each tour.
In March 1966, Conn Smythe resigned from the board of directors after a Muhammad Ali boxing match was scheduled for the Gardens. He found Ali's comments about the Vietnam War to be offensive and said that by accepting the fight, Gardens owners had "put cash ahead of class."  
The fight had been kicked out of every place in the U.S. because Clay is a draft dodger and a disgrace to his country. The Gardens was founded by men — sportsmen — who fought for their country. It is no place for those who want to evade conscription in their own country. The Gardens was built for many things, but not for picking up things that no one else wants
— Conn Smythe, when informing John Bassett that he was resigning
Also in 1966, a new centre-hung scoreboard with a digital clock was installed replacing the SporTimer which was an analog clock. One of the designers of the new scoreboard, Paul Morris, was by this time the arena's public address announcer, a job he would hold until the Leafs left the arena.
Ballard and the younger Smythe were accused in 1969 of stealing money from the corporation and avoiding income taxes by having Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. pay for many of their personal expenses. The controversy created a rift between the two and Bassett, which led to Smythe and Ballard being fired from their management positions in 1969, only to win back control the following year. In September 1971, Bassett sold his shares to Stafford Smythe and Ballard. Just six weeks later, Smythe died. His brother and son tried to keep the shares within the Smythe family, but in February 1972 all of Smythe's shares were purchased by Ballard, leaving him with majority ownership of the building and the Leafs.
Maple Leaf Gardens