THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs will go with a classic look for their new third sweater this season.
The dark blue uniform, officially unveiled Friday afternoon, is a throwback to the Leafs’ jersey worn from 1967 through 1970. It has a white 11-point, wool-felt Maple Leaf crest on the front with white and blue stripes at the elbows and waist.
There is a touch of white around the collar, vintage six-eyelet laces by the neck and no shoulder patches.
Former captains Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark were joined by current players Luke Schenn and Colby Armstrong for the unveiling at an apparel store near Air Canada Centre.
"I think that the message here to the current players is you’re linking the present to the past," Sittler said. "This is a great traditional jersey that players wore and won Stanley Cups with it.
"So to bring it out, obviously the colours are the same, it’s beautiful. With the felt numbers on it, there’s just a little bit of something different. It’s classic, it never goes out of style."
Pants adorned with a new white vertical stripe along the sides will also be worn with the third jersey.
Pictures of the sweater first surfaced on the Internet earlier this month. The Leafs said they were disappointed the jersey was "unexpectedly revealed."
It was mistakenly displayed on racks at the Buffalo Sabres team store where a fan with a sharp eye photographed it.
In recent days, websites have leaked what they claim to be the new Toronto Blue Jays’ logo, a sleeker version of the bird the team sported in its early years. The Ottawa Senators’ third jersey was also revealed prematurely.
The Maple Leafs will wear the third sweater when they kick off the regular season at home against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 6. The jersey will be worn 14 times during the season.
