This is a fitting sculpture to be in front of the offices of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). Everyone knows that banners and pennants are hung from the rafters of sports arenas, now there is a sculpture which shows the history of the Leafs at their former home, Maple Leaf Gardens, hanging outside their new home ice arena.
When you look up, way up, to the overhang in front of 40 Bay Street, you will see dozens of stainless steel pipes hanging down. The pipes are of different lengths, from very short to very long. There are three rows of pipes in each of the seven separate sections. Not being a huge hockey fan, I know - how unCanadian - I didn't realize what the hanging pipes meant until I read about this sculpture, but it can still be enjoyed even if you don't know what it represents and/or are not a hockey fan.
Wins/Losses/Ties is one of the pieces of art (#22) featured on the City of Toronto's Art Walk - Toronto's Outdoor Art Gallery. Link: (
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"Wins/Losses/Ties
Micah Lexier, 1999
Wins/Losses/Ties is specifically linked to its site at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club, and is a tribute to their previous home, Maple Leaf Gardens, as well as their enduring legacy.
The work consists of a group of 201 hanging stainless steel columns and seven inlaid granite sidewalk panels. In keeping with the spirit of this artist’s usual approach, the formal characteristics of these elements are determined by statistical information. In this case three steel columns depicting their record of wins, losses and ties represent the 67 seasons played at Maple Leaf Gardens. The columns are grouped by decade and extend downward for a length proportional to the related statistic, which is noted on the bottom of each column. The sidewalk panels record additional information such as the years that the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.
Aside from being a tribute to an institution that is deeply embedded in Canadian heritage and our national consciousness, Wins/Losses/Ties is a visually tangible manifestation of a mathematical system that usually only exists within the conceptual realm."
Unfortunately the inlaid sidewalk panels are very hard to read. A woman was passing by when I was there and said they are easier to read after a rainfall and if the light is just right.
The sculpture can be found at 40 Bay Street which is on the west side of Bay, south of Front Street , west of Yonge Street.