To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first game in NHL history, the Toronto Maple Leafs will look a little different when they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at a special time of 2 p.m. ET.
For the matchup, coined the Next Century Game, the Maple Leafs will wear retro jerseys like the ones worn by the Toronto Arenas when they took to the ice for the first time as an NHL team on the same date in 1917.
To start the next century of @MapleLeafs hockey, on December 19 we’re going back to the beginning. #StandWitness pic.twitter.com/bCOpDYvfrN
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 12, 2017
"The Next Century Game marks the culmination of a year of Maple Leafs Centennial Anniversary celebrations that paid tribute to the teams, the accomplishments, and the memories of the first 100 years of Maple Leafs hockey," team president Brendan Shanahan said Tuesday.
"We’re now able to look ahead as we start to write the next great chapters in team history along with creating new generations of Leafs fans, which is an important part of this celebration."
Toronto Mayor John Tory also announced that Dec. 19 will officially be proclaimed "Toronto Maple Leafs Day."
The Arena nickname lasted one season, and the team was known as the Toronto St. Pats from 1919-20 to 1926-27 before adopting the Maple Leafs moniker for good the following season.
