Spelling of team name

[markar14]

There's probably some meaningful historic or tradition-involving answer to what I'm wondering:

Why is the name "Maple Leafs" with "Leafs" at the end instead of "Leaves?" Technically isn't that the proper way to pluralize Leaf? Or is the spelling up north a bit different? (like with all those unneeded U's next to O's, but let's not go into that...) Just curious.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

That's been discussed here before. Also, I would recommend consulting a dictionary beforehand. It would have told you that either is acceptable. Here's a link.

[Fjm]

ouch.

[Cujo]

Also, your sig is big enough to become my desktop wallpaper.

Please do something about that.

[winghaz]

As a descendent of Vikings, and knowing that Vikings landed in Canada, I suggest they rename the team to the Toronto Maple Leifs.

(Hey, now we could use a Viking smiley face.)

[Davey]

They had their name since 1927, and why are we talking about it now ? lol.

[winters in buffalo]

I may be mistaken, but I remember reading somewhere that since it's the plural of a proper name (a single player being a Maple Leaf), you just add the S and don't change the spelling.

For example, former QB Ryan Leaf's family would also be The Leafs, not the The Leaves.

[VitaminD]

I may be mistaken, but I remember reading somewhere that since it's the plural of a proper name (a single player being a Maple Leaf), you just add the S and don't change the spelling.

For example, former QB Ryan Leaf's family would also be The Leafs, not the The Leaves.

That's the explanation I've heard as well. Well, it was along those lines...

The leaves of the maple tree are just that - maple leaves. In this case, maple is an adjective to specify which tree the leaves are from.

But the hockey team was named for the Maple Leaf - capital "M", capital "L". It is the name (2 words) of one of the national symbols of Canada, not merely the leaves that are seen on maple trees. The Maple Leaf is more symbolic than the leaves it's based on, the same we Americans refer to the Stars & Stripes, while there are other garden-variety stars we see nightly, and stripes on everything from cars to shirts that are just stripes - they're only symbolic when associated with the flag. As a proper name, "Maple Leaf" (symbol) is pluralized by just adding "s".

Or May bee Kanaydeeuns just aru'n't gud spelurs and they gott konfsued abut rools.?

[Neon_Matrix]

The reason is that Conn Smyth had very poor grammer, hence the "Leafs" and not proper "Leaves." I mean, he went to my high school, I can see how he does something like that.

[Adam]

The spelling of Leafs has been explained. As for the "unnecessary" U's next to O's. That was the way the words were before the United States decided to just change it. The U is not unnecessary, it is the way it is spelled. USians just got lazy...

[winghaz]

USians just got lazy...

Lazy or smart?

[lost_limey]

USians just got lazy...

Lazy or smart?

Lazy *imagine a brit smiley here, bad teeth 'n' all*

[Stampman]

The spelling of Leafs has been explained. As for the "unnecessary" U's next to O's. That was the way the words were before the United States decided to just change it. The U is not unnecessary, it is the way it is spelled. USians just got lazy...

So lazy they removed the last sound of the letter Z (zed) and changed it to zee insatead of zeh.

[westcoastoiler]

What i've never understood is why the Maple Leafs are blue and not red. If they are named after the Maple Leaf, then wouldn't they adopt it's red colour? Or did they go blue because the Habs were red?

Green made a bit more sense but blue i just never have heard that part of their history.

[IceCap]

What i've never understood is why the Maple Leafs are blue and not red. If they are named after the Maple Leaf, then wouldn't they adopt it's red colour? Or did they go blue because the Habs were red?

Green made a bit more sense but blue i just never have heard that part of their history.

They're blue and white because of "Canada's blue skies and white snow"

[markar14]

What i've never understood is why the Maple Leafs are blue and not red. If they are named after the Maple Leaf, then wouldn't they adopt it's red colour? Or did they go blue because the Habs were red?

Green made a bit more sense but blue i just never have heard that part of their history.

They're blue and white because of "Canada's blue skies and white snow"

but when it snows, there aren't any leaves on the trees, and the few they have already dead and should be reddish/brown

[leopard88]

I may be mistaken, but I remember reading somewhere that since it's the plural of a proper name (a single player being a Maple Leaf), you just add the S and don't change the spelling.

For example, former QB Ryan Leaf's family would also be The Leafs, not the The Leaves.

By that logic, the NBA team in Minnesota should be the Timberwolfs, as a single player would be a Timberwolf.

[Gothamite]

The spelling of Leafs has been explained. As for the "unnecessary" U's next to O's. That was the way the words were before the United States decided to just change it. The U is not unnecessary, it is the way it is spelled. USians just got lazy...

Eddie Izzard has a great routine about that.

You pronounce it "erb." We pronounce it "herb."

Because it's got a #@%$in' "H" in it!

[Michigan Dave]

What i've never understood is why the Maple Leafs are blue and not red. If they are named after the Maple Leaf, then wouldn't they adopt it's red colour? Or did they go blue because the Habs were red?

Green made a bit more sense but blue i just never have heard that part of their history.

They're blue and white because of "Canada's blue skies and white snow"

but when it snows, there aren't any leaves on the trees, and the few they have already dead and should be reddish/brown

Dude, kill the screen-sized Stevenson HS sig.

[IceCap]

What i've never understood is why the Maple Leafs are blue and not red. If they are named after the Maple Leaf, then wouldn't they adopt it's red colour? Or did they go blue because the Habs were red?

Green made a bit more sense but blue i just never have heard that part of their history.

They're blue and white because of "Canada's blue skies and white snow"

but when it snows, there aren't any leaves on the trees, and the few they have already dead and should be reddish/brown

Conn Smyth wanted a patriotc name, hence Maple Leafs. He also wanted colours that represnted Canada. Red and white were being used by the Habs, so he went with blue and white, the team's original colours from their days as the Toronto Arenas. He then expalined it with the whole "Canada's white snow and blue skies" thing.