Toronto Maple Leafs Blend Old and New in 100th Anniversary Logo

Posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016 by Blade Brain Trust

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a big change, kind of.

With their 100th anniversary upcoming, Toronto’s most popular sports franchise has updated their logo to reflect the past (of course) and look to the future.

Taking it’s elements from the iconic Leafs logos of 1939 to 1967, the logo most resembles the leaf design of 1963 - 1967, with the border piping removed and the text updated to improve spacing and legibility. The points on the leaf were also trimmed from 35 in the original to 31, to represent 1931 as the year the old Maple Leaf Gardens was opened.

Honestly, that feels like a little more detail from the past than what was needed. We know that this is a franchise deeply entrenched in history (mostly because that’s where their success was) but to pay tribute to a building that they haven’t played in since 1999 seems a little over the top. Especially since the building still stands as a grocery store and the Ryerson University athletic centre.

The veins in the leaf have also been updated, with a drop from 14 to 13 to represent the Stanley Cup wins in franchise history. This is a move that makes more sense, although one has to wonder if they plan on updating it to reflect any subsequent championships in the future.

We asked Blade designer (and Maple Leafs fan) Chris Lennox to tell us what he thinks of the new logo…

“The new Maple Leafs logo is a masterclass in what a sporting franchise should do when your team has under-performed and public opinion has waned. Go back to what you used to look like when you were a winner, add a modern flair and explain to your hardcore fan-base the myriad of ways this is good for the brand. #nailedit”

In the end nobody should be the least bit surprised by this new Toronto Maple Leafs logo.

The design was always going to feature a single leaf most prominently, it was most likely going to look back to the history of one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, and it certainly wasn’t going to present any drastic changes that would ruffle the feathers of Leafs Nation heading into the 100th anniversary season and all of the celebrations that will come with it.

A new logo won’t help the product on the ice, but it may bolster the brand community as the Maple Leafs continue their rebuild with one eye on the past and another on the future.