Originally Toronto Arenas, the club was formed at a time when the entire world was at war. The Canadian soldiers were actively involved in combat but this didn’t detour the pioneers from forming the club. 

The club went through different seasons of crisis ranging from financial, management, court, and winning crisis. Adopted in 1927, the Toronto Maple Leafs logo has gone through a series of changes too. To date, the logo has been changed eight times, triggered by diverse reasons. Let us go through the journey. 

The Genesis

Before the Toronto Hockey Team logo gained the name Maple Leafs, it was known by various names. The earliest name was the Blue-Shirts followed by the Shamrocks and Marlboros. After a few years, it was again changed to Arenas and shortly after to St. Patrick’s. A few years later, Toronto premier Hockey Company adopted the current name - Maple Leafs.

The director, Conn Smythe, had just returned from fighting in World War I as a soldier. In honor of his army team, he named the team after his army regiment and this adopted the same name maple leaf. Earlier on, the logo was green with white stirpes but about two years after Smythe bought the team, he changed its logo from green to blue.

Moving Ahead A Little

The formation of the Toronto Maple Leafs resulted from a dispute between the directors of Toronto St. Patricks, which led to its sale. St. Patricks had benefited from an earlier dispute within the original Toronto Arenas that had been granted membership in the NHL in 1917. The club won the 1917-1918 NHL cup dubbed Stanley Cup Finals.

The name Toronto St. Patricks was adopted primarily to attract the dominant Irish population. Their interest in the game would help to boost the much-needed finances and popularity. They managed to win the 2nd season of St. Pats’ games and went home with the 2nd Stanley Cup. Between 1918 – 1967, the club managed to win 13 Stanley Cups. 

The Litigations

After the 1922 cup, the team was unable to win in the next few years. The cause was mostly due to the numerous court battles the club was going through. Livingstone was seeking to control the club and when the battles intensified, the club was put on sale. 

Finally, in 1927, Conn Smythe bought the club and changed its name to Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club. The managers also formed Maple Leafs Gardens Ltd to help raise money to construct the club’s Arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. 

Maple Leaf – The Meaning 

The Canadian government chose the leaf as their National symbol. It is engraved in the nation’s coins and flag. To the Toronto Maple Leafs, the leaf has its symbolic meaning. Smythe took control of the club on the lover’s day, February 14, 1927. 

A few years back, veterans had fought in the first world war. Canada had sent her men to fight in the war. The team of soldiers was combating under the name Maple Leaf Regiment. Smythe was an army major in the war and carried the military cross, which had the maple leaf logo embroidered on it.

The soldiers’ badges had the maple leaf logo engraved on them too. He even spent fourteen months in prison during the war. He could not have chosen a more appropriate logo. He wanted to honor the team of brave men from Toronto who took part in the war. As a result, the company adopted the name of the Regiment – Maple Leafs.

The Journey Of The Logo

Between 1927 to date, the Maple Leafs logo has changed eight times. The simplicity of the logo reminds the team of the history of Canada, just like the way the Chicago Bulls logo is simple and reminds the team of the history of the Chicago slaughterhouse. 

The financial crisis led to the sale of Toronto Arenas in 1920 and the new owners changed its name to Toronto St Pats and the color to green. Ownership crisis ensued, leading to numerous court battles.

Finally, Conn Smythe bought the club and changed the name to Toronto Maple Leafs and the color to blue. You can write an essay about the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs with the help of Ca. Edubirdie, the leading university paper writing service for Canadians. The online writers are professionals in assignment writing and you will never be disappointed with their high-level writing. 

Before Conn Smythe’s take over in 1927, the logo was green. He changed it to blue, and since then, the club has retained blue to date. In 1939, the leaf was changed to a more condensed shape with leaf veins in white. The watermark was white too. 

Another slight change was made in 1964. The 1939 design was retained, and a white border running around the leaf was added. The next change was made in 1968. The white veins and border were removed. The leaf now closely resembled the one on the Canadian flag except for the watermark. 

In 1971, the blue leaf remained, but the watermark font was bolded. 1988 brought slight changes to the leaf’s shape. In 1916, the club management thought of returning to the roots. They took inspiration from the 1930s and 40s-60s logo and designed a new logo.

The leaf remained blue and the veins were back. The current logo has 17 veins in memory of 1917 when the club was formed. The 13 veins at the top represent the 13 Stanley Cup wins. The leaf has 31 points to remember the year 1931 when the Maple leaf Gardens was open. 

Conclusion 

For close to 100 years, the Toronto Hockey Club has evolved through good times and challenging times. Starting from a change of its original name Toronto Arenas to Toronto St. Patricks and finally to Toronto Maple Leafs, the club has a rich history. Although the club has not changed its name since 1927, its logo has a long history of changes. The current one was modified in 2016 to remind the team of its long history. 

Guest Writer
Judy Nelson

Bio: Judy Nelson works for an NGO where she leads the team handling education awareness campaigns in South Africa and East Africa. She has a great talent in writing as well and works part-time for a leading essay paper writing service for college students. In her free time, she likes to practice mindfulness, play squash and try her hand in DIY woodworking.

See the Toronto Maple Leafs logo history and team history.