TORONTO

Bobby Orr soars by TD Garden, Wayne Gretzky resides at Rexall Place.

Now the Toronto Sun has learned Maple Leafs are erecting a touchstone monument outside the Air Canada Centre, meant to link the near-century old franchise to its ‘nation’ of fan and give visitors the ideal photo op.

But which Leaf to honour? That has been the dilemma for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment since it considered a statue or other work of art as far back as the building’s opening in 1999.

To honour only Dave Keon, Tim Horton or any of the great 1960s teams might not be fair to the memory of Teeder Kennedy, a five-time Cup winner in the ‘40s, or Hap Day, who was captain, coach and general manager.

Of a more recent vintage Darryl Sittler scored 10 points in one night, Borje Salming played 1,000 games, Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark are both adored former captains and Mats Sundin is the franchise scoring leader. Yet none of them won the championship that’s eluded Leaf Nation into a 47th year.

New MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke, the driving force behind the renewed project, has come up with what should be a workable solution. An MLSE source say the monument, still in the conceptual stage in terms of size and material, is going to depict a row of Leafs, perhaps seated or standing on a bench, representing players from every era.

In that sense it will be an evolving work, with new pieces added every year or two. That way no part of team history gets ignored, while coaches, managers, perhaps even team founder Conn Smythe and iconic broadcaster Foster Hewitt would have a place. Future stars could also be accommodated if the Leafs do ever end their title drought.

MLSE has made an application to the City of Toronto for the proper zoning to build it somewhere in or around Maple Leaf Square. As far as a timeline, it will likely be part of other efforts going into the club’s build-up to an NHL centennial celebration in 2017.

MLSE is not prepared to make an announcement so early in the planning stage, but it’s known Leiweke is anxious to patch relations with fans and alumni after a flap last summer about the decor around the ACC. Leiweke wants the Leafs’ environment to reflect the current team and its own identity, but insists it won’t be at the expense of ripping down photos of Leaf greats and snubbing a fan base that goes back to the early 20th century.

The public could have a role in choosing which Leafs will be lionized, but nothing will be determined until the city grants the permit and MLSE settles on a design.