TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to the past for a fresh look in the future.
The club has unveiled a new logo for the first time in more than 45 years.
It's a fresh take on the "classic Maple Leaf" emblem of Toronto teams from the 1940s to the 1960s and will serve as the team's primary crest beginning in the 2016-17 campaign, the club's centennial season.
The crest, with some slight alterations, aligns most closely to a version worn by the team from 1963 to '67, the most successful era in Maple Leafs history. The team hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
It's the fifth adjustment to the logo since the team changed its name from the Toronto St. Patricks to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927 and the first change of any kind since 1970.
The new logo resembles a real leaf more closely than the current insignia, which has sharper lines and blocky letters.
"As an organization, we wanted to get back to our roots, when Conn Smythe first changed the team logo to the Maple Leaf in 1927," Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said in a release. "Inspired by the badge that he and his fellow Canadian soldiers wore during World War I, Smythe wanted his team to wear the badge with 'honour, pride and courage. This is our goal for the next chapter in Leafs history."
The logo has subtle hints to commemorate the richer days of old. Among those traits are 31 points, which nod to 1931 when Maple Leaf Gardens first opened, as well as 17 veins to represent the 1917 founding of the franchise. Thirteen of those veins are found at the top of the crest and commemorate the club's 13 Stanley Cup championships.
In further celebration of the centennial season, the Leafs will unveil new uniforms featuring the new crest at the upcoming 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo.
The Toronto Marlies, the club's AHL affiliate, will also adopt the new-look crest along with the club's own historic crown, in keeping with past traditions.
The new badge was revealed Tuesday night during an episode of the 'The Leaf: Blueprint', the team's behind-the-scenes documentary series.
