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Best and worst sweaters of all-time: Toronto Maple Leafs

Wendel Clark

Being an original six team must make life easy on fans as they provide a look that stays virtually the same all the time. While the Maple Leafs have tweaked their look just enough over time to keep fans buying up the new goods, it’s a look that’s lasted a long time and remains one of the best in the NHL.

Best: The Leafs have been a bit more like the Blackhawks than they have been like the Red Wings when it comes to tweaking an original six look. While the bold Maple Leaf has always been on the front of the sweater, how the leaf itself looked and the dalliances of the sweater itself have gotten their fair share of tweaks. The look the Leafs had from 1978-1992 is one that I’ll always have an affinity for. Let’s just go ahead and blame that on Wendel Clark, OK?

Worst: The Leafs have never really had a bad look per se, but there have been some tweaks to their sweaters that made you wonder just what they trying to do with the classic Maple Leafs identity. One such example is when they replaced the classic old maple leaf shoulder logo with an interlocking “TML” logo on the shoulders. Believe me, I get that this is the ultimate in nit-picking when it comes to finding a flaw, but that switch was one that never sat right with me. Having more leafs on the sweater was never a bad thing.

Old-Timey Goodness: With the Leafs long history of sweaters, it’s easy enough to go back in time and find a classic look that just oozes history and beauty. One such look for me is their home blue sweater from 1927-1930. It’s big and blue with all sorts of white stripes going up and down the sleeves with a massive Maple Leafs logo on the front. Throw in the white numbers on the back with no names and it’s old school perfection. Sure the stripes might set you off a bit, but these things are fantastic.

Assessment: The Leafs current look is simple and ideal. Their home blues and road whites are simply striped and elegant. The old time leaf is back on the shoulders and the Leafs third sweater is a nod to the past with the blue shoulder yoke and the old time Leafs logo on the front. You can never go wrong with a Leafs sweater… Unless you’re from Boston or Montreal I suppose.