MAPLE LEAFS UNVEIL 2022 NHL HERITAGE CLASSIC UNFORM WITH TRIBUTE TO FRANCHISE’S ORIGINS
Team to sport historic Toronto Arenas inspired uniform when they take on the Buffalo Sabres March 13 in the 2022 NHL Heritage Classic
The Toronto Maple Leafs have unveiled its NHL Heritage Classic uniform, an homage to the first uniforms the team ever wore, when they were the Toronto Arenas from 1917 to 1919. The Arenas sweater has only been worn by the team on one other occasion since 1919 when the 2017-18 Maple Leafs wore it as an alternate sweater as part of the team’s ‘Next Century Game’.
The understated aesthetic of this Arenas uniform evokes wool sweaters of the era but in a performance silhouette for this marquee event. A block white “T” adorns the front chest, executed in vintage felt with faux-quilting stitch detail and a subtle “ARENAS” in navy felt surrounding it. Player name and number decoration is also executed in vintage felt with faux-quilted stitch detailing on the numbers that evoke heritage application techniques. The team motto “Honour, Pride, Courage” is found on the inside collar.
“It is fitting that we are able to pay tribute to this storied franchise’s beginnings, and its first uniform, at the NHL Heritage Classic and we look forward to celebrating the team’s history with our fans,” said Shannon Hosford, Chief Marketing Officer at MLSE. “The Heritage Classic and the Arenas sweater launch kicks off an important month of exciting team fan engagement initiatives just as we begin to welcome fans back into our venues.”
On November 26, 1917, the National Hockey League, and the Toronto Arenas, the franchise now called the Toronto Maple Leafs, were born out of the old National Hockey Association. In 1918, the Arenas became the first NHL team to capture the Stanley Cup defeating the Vancouver Millionaires. The Arenas name lasted two seasons and they played out of the Arena Gardens on Mutual Street.
The NHL Heritage Classic is a celebration of hockey history, a harkening back to old days of shinny on the pond, and a recognition that outdoor rinks have always been and still are essential to hockey culture.
The 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic features a unique cross border rivalry. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres are two of the closest neighbors in the NHL and the closest across the Canada-U.S. border.