Seeing Green

This St Patrick’s day, raise a pint of cheer to NHL nostalgia. Before The Maple Leafs were the boys in blue the Toronto squad wore green.The St Pats emerged in the 1919-20 NHL season with manager Charlie Querrie at the helm. Toronto’s green and white jerseys paid homage to Ireland while their ordained name was chosen to entice the city’s large Irish population in an attempt to draw them in droves to home games. Two years later, the St Pats found their pot of gold, defeating the Vancouver Millionaires for the 1921-22 Stanley Cup. Star Pat, Babe Dye, acted as an emerald lucky clover scoring nine goals in just five games during the series.In February 1927, the Toronto St Pats were purchased by ex-Rangers owner Conn Smythe. Smythe, a military man, renamed his team after a World War I fighting unit, the Maple Leaf Regiment. The team colours were changed from green and white to the more familiar blue and white.

Now if only the contemporary club could some how channel the old-school luck of the Irish…