Every Toronto Maple Leafs fan knows that a few friendly — or sometimes not-so-friendly — barbs are to be expected when cheering for the franchise.
It’s not uncommon to hear opposing fans come in with chirps of “1967” regarding the last year they won the Stanley Cup, “They’ll never win in the playoffs!” given their relative futility in the postseason over the last few decades, and of course, calling out the team’s top stars for thoughts that they’re making too much money.
But above all those chirps which have the possibility of going away over time, there’s one dig at the team that’s been following them around for nearly a century: “Why aren’t they called the Maple Leaves?”
Well, it’s a story that spans over a hundred years.
Why are they called the Maple Leafs?
For starters, it dates back to World War I, with the symbol of the Maple Leaf being worn by Canadian soldiers in their various ranks around the globe. Originally known as the Arenas and then the St. Patricks, the current team name has gone unchanged since 1927.
“The Maple Leaf to us, was the badge of courage, the badge that meant home,” former Leafs owner Conn Smythe said.
“It was the badge that reminded us all of our exploits and the different difficulties we got into and the different accomplishments we made. It was a badge that meant more to us than any other badge that we could think of so we chose it hoping that the possession of this badge would mean something to the team that wore it and when they skated out on the ice with this badge on their chest… they would wear it with honour and pride and courage, the way it had been worn by the soldiers of the first Great War in the Canadian Army.”
According to a 2017 Washington Post interview with University of Toronto professor J.K. Chambers, it’s a linguistic oddity, but it’s not a mistake by any means. Given that the Maple Leaf in question is a proper noun, keeping the “fs” ending instead of “ves” is not a grammatical error, even if it may sound odd to the untrained ear.
As for the colours themselves, well, it’s a choice that’s likely more business-related than an attempt to honour the country’s military.
As per The Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club official team book by Kevin Shea and Jason Wilson, which was published ahead of the 100th anniversary of the franchise, blue was a historically significant colour associated with Toronto (including the Argonauts football team and rowing club), and Smythe thought it represented the sky and the water.
Perhaps most importantly, it was streamlined with the scheme of the trucks used by his gravel and sand business.
So, while some folks may not agree with the name and find it fodder for their dislike of the franchise, you can point them back to World War I the next time you hear a Maple Leafs-related chirp.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
