The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday released their new alternate jerseys, and, well, there’s quite a bit to unpack here. But one thing stands out immediately, especially to Bruins fans — the sweaters are black and gold.
OK, so it’s just the inside of the sweater, which is designed to be reversible and features a pretty legit black and blue main color scheme. And while it’s easy to poke fun at the Maple Leafs for using Boston’s colorway, it’s actually a nod to Justin Bieber.
The pop star, an Ontario native, helped design the jerseys. The black and gold colors are used by his clothing brand, drew 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 sweater,” Bieber said, as 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 got to collaborate with his hometown team on the sweaters — and the concept of the reversible jersey makes it 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 a 343-305-99-13 record in the all-time series as well as a pretty serious postseason advantage. The Maple Leafs haven’t defeated Boston in a postseason series since the 1959 Stanley Cup semifinals, with the Bruins claiming six postseason series since.
Well, if you can’t beat them, join them?
