Today was a big day for the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs as both teams unveiled their new Centennial Classic jerseys.
Both jerseys offer unique features, so let’s start with the blue jerseys which will be worn by the Maple Leafs.
“Toronto will wear blue sweaters with white trim and their Maple Leaf crest. There will be silver on the white trim and the veins of the leaf in the crest to celebrate the Maple Leafs’ 100th season,” a release from the NHL stated. The sweaters will also have a Centennial Classic patch and the words “Honour, Pride and Courage” stitched into the back of the neck. It’s a quote from former Maple Leafs coach Conn Smythe and
“The sweaters will also have a Centennial Classic patch and the words “Honour, Pride and Courage” stitched into the back of the neck. It’s a quote from former Maple Leafs coach Conn Smythe and are values the franchise strives to represent. The pants will also have a ‘T’ to pay homage to the franchise’s origin as the Toronto St. Pats.”
Toronto’s jerseys are straightforward and offer a very nice and clean look while still paying homage to the strong history of their franchise. It’s easy to like what they’ve done and the jerseys will certainly look great on January 1st.
“The NHL Centennial Classic will be a special moment in our year-long celebration of 100 years of Maple Leafs hockey and this new sweater offers a signature look for the occasion, combining important elements of our club’s past, but also our present and future as it features the new Maple Leaf crest,” Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan said. “We look forward to this event being a memorable day for both our fans and our team, and this unique sweater will be an important part of those memories.”
On the flip side, you have the Red Wings interesting design choice.
Per the NHL release, “Detroit will wear white sweaters with red trim and their Winged Wheel crest. The crest will have silver tones in it, as will the top stripe on each sleeve along with the trim on the numbers. The Red Wings will also have the years of their 11 Stanley Cup championships on stripes on each of the sleeves. The pants will have a ‘D’ similar to that of the Detroit Cougars during their 1926-27 season.”
The Red Wings special jersey looks plain and uninspired in my opinion. They look like glorified practice jerseys, and as a Red Wings fan, I am extremely disappointed in their unveiling. Toronto, on the other hand, has put together a real nice design. The silver looks good with the blue, and I’m a fan of the horizontal white stripe.
Check out the Red Wings and Maple Leafs Centennial Classic jerseys below and drop us a note with your thoughts. Do you like them or do you think they could have done a better job with the designs?
