Darren Thompson has a “crazy dream” to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs — and he’s recruiting Canadians from coast to coast to help him make it a reality.

When he heard that the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan plans to sell its 66 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the 35-year-old Alberta man built a website to build community support.

Thompson grew up playing hockey on the pond near his New Brunswick home. He relocated to Leduc, Alta., just south of Edmonton, a decade ago.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to own a professional sports team, and being a good Canadian, that professional sports team should be a hockey team,” Thompson said. “I believe there’s enough people out there to truly and honestly do this.”

The plan is simple: Thompson would take a $1,000 investment from one million Canadians — and supporters have already pegged more than $1 million to the project.

Of course, the MLSE stake also includes the Toronto Raptors NBA team, the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and Toronto FC of North America’s Major League Soccer. But Thompson said the “emotional twinge” lies with hockey.

With his idea just 10 days old, Thompson is moving ahead to develop a model that could work.

He’s already spoken to representatives from the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, which is owned by a foundation that invests in the community. The other option would be to create an investment fund whose profits are redistributed to owners, like the Ontario Teachers’ Fund.

Thompson knows it’s a long shot that needs approval from MLSE’s majority owner and the league, but he thinks with enough support it can happen.

“I get goosebumps thinking about it.”