Steve Atanas Stavro (born as Manoli Stavroff Sholdas), emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, in 1933. He became known for his grocery chain, Knob Hill Farms, that operated from 1953 to 2001. Stavro was interested in football (soccer) and horse racing, before investing in hockey.

His first involvement in hockey was with the Toronto Toros. He was one of the many owners of the WHA franchise, before it was relocated to Birmingham, Alabama.

He became the majority owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs following the death of his friend and former majority owner Harold Ballard's death on April 11, 1990. Stavro's paid the estate's debt to Molson Breweries of Canada and bought its shares in Ballards holding company that owned the majority of shares in the Maple Leafs parent company, the publically traded Maple Leafs Gardens Ltd.

Stavro took the Maple Leafs Garden Ltd. off the market, gradually buying out the remaining minority owners. He controlled the company through MLG Ventures that he co-owned with the Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP). He held 80 percent of the shares in a holding company, while TD owned 20 percent of the holding company shares. Together they owned 51 percent of MLG Ventures, while OTPP owned the remaining 49 percent.

In 1996, he sold 25 percent stake in the holding company to Kilmer Sports, a company owned by Larry Tanenbaum. MLG Ventures was merged with the Maple Leafs Gardens Ltd. once the remaining minority owners had sold their shares.

In 2003, he sold his stake to Bell Globemedia, after which the Maple Leafs Gardens Ltd. was dissolved and replaced by the Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MSLE).

Stavro died on April 24, 2006.