Buds Board Keepers League

New Phaneuf Jerseys With 'C' On Order

If you are wondering whether the Maple Leafs will follow through on their plan to make Dion Phaneuf captain, consider this: A National Hockey League licensing contact, who has been nothing short of reliable through the years, tells me he’s been given the go-ahead to add the ‘C’ to the new Leaf jerseys he’ll be distributing with Phaneuf’s name and number on them. The altered uniform design is expected to be unveiled during a joint press gathering, at which Phaneuf will be officially named the 18th captain in Leaf history, and the first player to wear the ‘C’ since Mats Sundin departed after the 2007-08 season. It is anticipated that Phil Kessel will also be on hand at the media conference to show off the new uniform.

An unconfirmed whisper has the unveiling scheduled for June 15... the Leafs to enjoy a seven-day marketing exclusivity before the jersey is available in all retail outlets the following week, June 22.

As for the re-modeled uniform, it will be a virtual copy of the design worn by the hockey club in the Doug Gilmour era [early-to-late 1990s], with the current prime logo – the 11-point maple leaf introduced by Harold Ballard for the 1970-71 season. The featured difference is that all three sets this year – including the hold-over third jersey – will sport neck tie-laces; only the third version had them last season. The new uniform will see a pair of horizontal stripes returned to the arms and bottom of the jersey after disappearing for a couple of years in the league-wide initiative with Reebok. Instead of laces, the Reebok jerseys had a triangular insert at the neck with the official NHL logo. The lettering font [for player names], and the numbers on the back and sleeve of the new Leafs uniform, will revert to a solid form, no longer sporting the “Varsity Block” outline [blue jerseys will have solid white letters and numbers; white jerseys will have solid blue ones… again, as they appeared in the Gilmour era].

Another major change will see shoulder patches return to the old-style Maple Leafs logo, with veins and no internal lettering, as per the years between 1992 and 2000. For the new millennium, the Leafs replaced the logo patch with a stylized “TML” emblem, prompting one of the best lines I’ve ever read, courtesy of my Toronto Star colleague, Rosie DiManno, who cracked “…the new shoulder patch looks like something that should be carved into Charles Manson’s forehead.” For the 2000-01 season, the Leafs added a third color – a silvery outline to the numbers and shoulder patch. The silver was dropped when the Reebok jerseys came into vogue for the 2007-08 campaign.

Shoalzie wroteCOLONI liked that look...clean and traditional. I thought the TML was kinda tacky.

KapG wroteCOLON

Shoalzie wroteCOLONI liked that look...clean and traditional. I thought the TML was kinda tacky.

does this mean they are getting rid of that shitty silver lining too?

That jersey gilmour is wearing there looks 100 times better then the crap they have been wearing in recent years.

Snipeshow wroteCOLON

KapG wroteCOLON

Shoalzie wroteCOLONI liked that look...clean and traditional. I thought the TML was kinda tacky.

does this mean they are getting rid of that shitty silver lining too?

That jersey gilmour is wearing there looks 100 times better then the crap they have been wearing in recent years.

There hasn't been silver lining since before the RBK Edge jerseys..