Don't cheapen the blue and white

There will be more than one logo gracing the practice jerseys of the Toronto Maple Leafs this fall. For now the maple leaf will be the dominant logo but the upper right-hand corner will sport a Purolator logo.

When I read this in the Toronto Star today I couldn't believe it. I didn't think Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the owners of the Leafs and the Raptors, could make any more money than they do until I read this article. Actually there is one way both teams could make extra money -- they could actually make it to the post-season, something neither team has done in a very long time.

There was a time when sponsorship played little, if any role in hockey. Look back at some highlight reels of the Leafs in the 1970s and you'll see the boards surrounding the ice covered in nothing but white with the odd black mark here and there from the puck. Those were different days back then as even helmets weren't mandatory.

By comparison today everything is sponsored, the boards are covered with logos, all through the Air Canada Centre signs flash the names of companies and  telecasts broadcasting the games are filled with ads of one kind or another. The only thing not flashing a company logo is the players themselves.

But that will change this season in Toronto.

I understand the financial difficulties smaller market teams across the NHL are going through. Reports this week indicated the New Jersey Devils were prepared to declare bankruptcy. There are rumblings in Long Island about the team moving if it can't get a new arena built and Phoenix hasn't made money since it left Winnipeg for the desert in the late 90s. Will fancy logos on their practice uniforms tip the scales and make those teams profitable? I doubt it.

MLSE is sporting a sponsorship logo this season because it can charge top dollar and make a whack of cash from it. The company isn't stupid and that's why it's one of the league's wealthiest franchises. But to hockey purists, and there are a lot of us out there, putting one logo over top of the maple leaf, no matter how small, is sacrilege. Before long one logo will turn to two, will turn to three and before long you won't even recognize the jersey. And trust me, if MLSE can make a bundle of cash on practice jerseys can you imagine what they would make on their game jerseys? Cha-ching!

It's a slippery slope and one I believe will lead eventually to logos on game jerseys.

In Europe there are hockey teams that have their practice and game jerseys plastered with logos. Keep in mind over there football (soccer) and rugby jerseys have been this way forever. In North America there's a tradition in hockey and part of that tradition is one jersey, one logo.

Put sponsorship whereever you want but leave the maple leaf alone. Don't cheapen the blue and white.

Leafs have made me a bigger fan of hockey

There was a time when I was a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I lived for the blue and white and my actual mood would be affected depending on whether the team won or lost the night before.

Not anymore.

This change didn't come about recently, it's been years in the making, I'd say since the early 1990s when Doug Gilmour led the team far in the playoffs. Since that memorable playoff run the team has been unable to achieve any level of success.

Year after year Leafs fans have been disappointed. The team hasn't made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season when they beat the Ottawa Senators in seven games to advance to the conference semi-finals. Philly put them out of their misery in the next round.

Since that short-lived playoff appearance the team has failed to earn a spot in the playoffs. Actually the team has failed to even compete. That hasn't stopped ticket prices from increasing every season though.

While all this mediocrity has been taking place in Toronto I've found myself watching other teams. That's not to say I've picked a new favourite team because I haven't. I've just learned to appreciate the game of hockey by watching better hockey teams. I no longer have to wait for the Boston Bruins to play the Leafs in this age of cable and satellite television. It's possible to watch the Boston - Montreal game or the Pittsburgh - Washington game whenever and wherever they play. There's a lot of talent in the NHL, you just have to surf a few channels in order to find it.

The Leafs are currently mired in another slump losing their last eight of nine games. The team's sniper Phil Kessel can't score and General Manager Brian Burke is ranting on about fans booing the team's on-ice performance. This hasn't changed my mood in the least as I don't care. The Leafs teams of my father's era were supposed to win, the Leafs teams of my era are supposed to lose.

The Leafs' fortunes may turnaround in the future but before they do I'm going to continue enjoying the game by watching other competitive teams play. Toronto isn't the centre of the hockey universe like many believe. There's a lot of hockey out there and I'm going to enjoy watching  as many games as I can.