The Toronto Maple Leafs released their new alternate jerseys, and, well, there’s quite a bit to unpack here. But one thing immediately stands out, especially for Bruins fans: the jerseys are black and gold.
OK, so that’s just the inside of the sweater, which is designed to be reversible and features a nice legit main color scheme of black and blue. And while it’s easy to mock the Maple Leafs for using the Boston colorway, it’s actually a nod to Justin Bieber.
The Ontario-born pop star helped design the jerseys. The black and gold colors are used by her clothing brand, draw house.
“My love for the Maple Leafs has always been a big part of who I am, and my passion for the team, and the passion of millions of fans, is stitched into this Next Gen jersey,” Bieber said, shared by Sportsnet . “I’m grateful to the Leafs for the chance to team up again and create something so authentic for the team and its fans.”
While it’s all warm and fuzzy that Bieber was able to collaborate with his hometown team on jerseys — and the reversible jersey concept is more worth shelling out hundreds of dollars for one — the black and Gold could be a tough sell for Toronto fans.
After all, the Bruins have the edge in the Original Six rivalry, with an all-time series record of 343-305-99-13 as well as a pretty serious advantage in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs haven’t beaten Boston in a playoff series since the 1959 Stanley Cup semifinals, with the Bruins having won six playoffs since.
