The 1967 New Maple Leafs Sweater


 
As a lifelong fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I often wondered about the fact that the team changed their uniform just in time for the 1967 playoffs which of course would turn out to be their last Stanley Cup triumph (pending). I recently picked up a really nice Game Program (pictured below) from the 1967 playoffs, issued April 18, 1967 for Game Six of the Semi-finals against Chicago. Within, there is an article by Paul Dulmage about the recent Leafs uniform switch.

"It was a decision of management," stated Leafs equipment manager Bobby Haggert, "They decided it would be part of their Centennial project. The new sweaters will be here in time for the playoffs." Dulmage informed the reader, Centennial Year (1967 was the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation) has come, and Canada has a new Maple Leaf on her flag, and the Toronto Maple Leafs open this year's Stanley Cup playoffs with a new leaf on their sweaters, Canada's 11-point leaf. The Maple Leaf sweater had long been a five-point serrated-edged leaf.

Dulmage continued, "There are two spring customs in Toronto which are hard to break: having the Leafs in the playoffs, and having brand-new sweaters for them. The old sweaters then are retired until the next season, when they're put into service for the exhibition grind." Bob Haggert adds, "There's another thing different this year. The striping on our sweaters and stockings has never matched. Look: our sweaters have two wide stripes on the sleeves, and two on the arms. But our stockings have one wide and two thin stripes. That's not a big, earth-shaking change or anything, but it should help make the boys look a little neater. Haggert tells why the team goes with new sweaters every spring, "To dress things up. The Stanley Cup playoffs are the highlight of the year. They get national coverage and now, international and in color. It's show business: you can't go on with uniforms that have taken a beating for 70 games. So you dress it up."
Apparently the colors were the most difficult to match according to Haggert, "One company makes the sweaters, another the pants, another the socks." Haggert orders Royal Blue, but every manufacturer's blue is different. It even extends to the gloves - every team in the league but Detroit now wears gloves painted or dyed team colors. He continued, "We've had some other ideas to brighten things up. White pants, for example, and white gloves. And maybe white skates, just like the Kansas City Athletics. But those things would be a lot of trouble: suppose a guy got cut and got blood all over his pants? And the skates: you'd have no end of trouble cleaning them. And hockey is such a transient sport - guys are in Rochester tomorrow. You'd have to have special skates each time they came up, because if everybody didn't wear them, it would look ridiculous."
In the end, the uniform switch proved successful for the Leafs. They would beat the Hawks that evening 3-1 courtesy of two goals from Brian Conacher and one from Pete Stemkowski while Terry Sawchuk made 34 of 35 saves. They would go on to defeat Montreal four games to two to claim the Stanley Cup in their brand-spanking new uniforms with matching stripes and an 11-point leaf logo.
Perhaps the current edition of the Leafs should consider a uniform change just before the 2022 playoffs (assuming they make it there), it may be the only thing that allows them to break their Stanley Cup curse.


 

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