Maple Leafs’ Team Name Carries Rich, Proud & Patriotic History

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As we all know, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now deadlocked at 2-2 in their second round series with the Florida Panthers, as things shift back to Toronto for Game 5 of what has now become a best-of-three. With that out of the way, let’s talk about team name origins!

Yes, I realize that it seems like an odd time for a Maple Leafs writer to talk about anything other than the club’s current playoff run. But the official announcement of the Utah Mammoth name offers a pretty good excuse to look back on the origins of why Toronto is known as the Maple Leafs. For as critical as fans can tend to get when NHL teams unveil new team names, little mind is paid to the names of long-standing franchises that have been legitimized simply by being around for a while.

But for as storied as the Maple Leafs franchise is, the team name stops making sense the moment you think about it. Sure, the maple leaf is a national symbol that stands proudly at the centre of our nation’s flag, but it’s also a form of yard waste that doesn’t inspire much fear and intimidation unless you’re raking a particularly big backyard in the fall. And what is up with the improperly-pluralized “Maple Leafs”? Shouldn’t they be the Toronto Maple Leaves?

History of the Maple Leafs Name

The early days of the franchise were actually quite tumultuous, with many different owners and a number of different associated team names. The NHL, itself, was borne out of severed relationships – and subsequent litigation – between owners of teams in the original National Hockey Association (NHA) and Eddie Livingstone, owner of the NHA’s Toronto Blueshirts. Other teams in the league were so eager to disassociate themselves from Livingstone that they formed the NHL to get away from him, replacing the Blueshirts by selling the Quebec-based NHA team to an ownership group fronted by Henry Pellatt, who owned and operated Mutual Street Arena.

That team, which was moved to Toronto to play out of the Pellatt-owned arena, did not have a name for the NHL’s inaugural 1917-18 season given the temporary status they held owing to Livingstone’s ongoing lawsuits, but were typically referred to as the “Blueshirts” or “Torontos” in local newspapers and by fans. The team actually won the Stanley Cup that year, and it would only be years later that the Cup would be inscribed with “Toronto Arenas” to recognize their victory.

The franchise came to be known officially as the Toronto Arena Hockey Club (popularly referred to as the “Arenas”) ahead of its second season, as they were granted a permanent place within the NHL. Unfortunately, the mounting legal costs would force the hockey club to sell off most of its best players (leading to a five-win second season) and ultimately declare bankruptcy before selling the team to an ownership group led by then-general manager Charlie Querrie. At that point, they were renamed the Toronto St. Patricks (or “St. Pats” for short) and had their colour scheme changed from blue to green.

They remained the St. Patricks for eight seasons, before Querrie was successfully sued by Livingstone for ownership of the franchise, forcing another sale of the team. This time, Conn Smythe (yes, that Conn Smythe) stepped in to intervene on a sale to C.C. Pyle to move the club to Philadelphia, convincing Querrie to sell to him in the interest of civic pride. Smythe took control of the franchise on Valentine’s Day of 1927 and immediately introduced the Maple Leafs name.

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Why the “Maple Leafs”?

A military man who attained the rank of Major in World War I, Smythe had a great pride and passion for the Canadian armed forces. The name “Maple Leafs” was created to honour the Maple Leaf Regiment, a third battalion of Toronto-based recruits who served throughout the war, including being involved in famous battles at Ypres, Vimy Ridge and along the Western Front. Although the maple leaf symbol didn’t adorn Canada’s national flag until 1965, it had already been incorporated into the badge of many Canadian forces (including Smythe’s squadron) and ultimately became closely associated with the military’s national identity.

In fact, there are some strong historical links between the hockey club and the military. It was Smythe who requested to have the 48th Highlanders Regiment Band of the Canadian Armed Forces perform at the opening of Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931, spawning a tradition that has continued at every home opener since.

Furthermore, Smythe was so dedicated in his belief of military service that it carried over into his hockey-related responsibilities. He enlisted a fellow veteran, Major Ed Bickle, as an original investor and board member for Maple Leaf Gardens. It’s no coincidence that a slew of Maple Leafs from the wartime era, including Johnny Bower and Syl Apps, would enlist in the service.

The apparent grammatical quirkiness of the name can mostly be explained by its tribute to the Maple Leaf Regiment, but it’s also likely that Smythe was following the pattern of some other professional sports teams of the time in not being particularly mindful of grammatical correctness. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox both preceded the Maple Leafs in terms of establishing their own naming conventions outside of proper English.

So no, your favourite hockey team was not named after a type of foliage, nor was it named for the symbol at the center of the Canadian flag (because the symbol hadn’t appeared on the flag yet). It links the club to a proud Canadian military history that was so important to Smythe. And really, the current Maple Leafs would do well to lean on that military history as they look to close out the Panthers and remind themselves of the franchise motto that defines that legacy: “Honour, Pride, Courage.”

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