Before the Toronto Maple Leafs, there were the Toronto Arenas.
On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs franchise celebrated its 100th anniversary with an afternoon game against the Carolina Hurricanes and nodded to the occasion by wearing the team’s jersey from its inaugural season.
By all accounts, fans enjoyed the throwback look, which came with a dominating 8-1 win. This year’s Maple Leafs scored just one fewer goal than Toronto’s NHL team did in its very first game, though the Arenas fell 10-9 to the Montreal Wanderers on Dec. 19, 1917.
It was a celebration to be remembered for the players and fans of the Arenas Maple Leafs.
And there was a franchise milestone in the game, as James van Riemsdyk converted the 20,000th goal in Arenas/St. Pats/Maple Leafs history.
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