Is it black? Is it blue? One thing’s for sure; the Toronto Maple Leafs are going a little outside their usual look for a new uniform set to drop next week.
Today, the Leafs posted a teaser video that showed some closeup shots of what’s clearly a new jersey for the club. It was followed by an end card promoting their annual “Next Gen Game” on March 23rd against the New Jersey Devils (Hey, a new jersey versus New Jersey). This teaser follows (and matches) a leaked photo that made the rounds earlier this month.
In the video, the first thing we see is a closeup of the crest on the jersey’s chest. Here it appears to be a dark navy blue leaf with three-dimensional embroidery for the white veins of the leaf and the team lettering.
Next was a shot of the jersey sleeve, which shows a black player number trimmed in white on a black… stripe? Black… sleeve? Regardless, this bit of the jersey is undoubtedly black (I know because Photoshop told me so). Directly below this bit of black is a thin royal blue stripe and then some more navy blue with what appears to be a pattern of some sort. This is certainly the most interesting bit of the teaser video:
Finally, we’re shown an out-of-focus shot of the front of the jersey, what looks like a black (or dark navy blue) jersey base the top of the leaf crest outlined in white. The captain’s “C” patch is also shown in plain old white.
You can see the whole video for yourself right here:
And a quick reminder of that leaked photograph from about two-and-a-half weeks ago:
It matches the teaser! And while everyone tells me it’s a dark navy blue, my eyes definitively see black, so I don’t know; maybe I’m going colour blind as I get older.
LINK: Toronto Maple Leafs Logo and Uniform History
This will mark the fifth different uniform the Maple Leafs have worn during the 2021-22 season, and, more notably, would be their fifth different uniform in a five-game stretch:
March 13th: Heritage Classic Arenas vs Buffalo
March 15th: Normal Home Blues vs Dallas
March 17th: St. Pats Throwbacks vs Carolina
March 19th: Normal Road Whites vs Nashville
March 23rd: “Next Gen” Alternates vs New Jersey