Toronto Maple Leafs

Reimagining the Toronto Maple Leafs logo for their Indigenous Celebration Game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club recognizes the importance of using their platform to amplify and celebrate Indigenous culture in Toronto and beyond. On January 11, 2025, they hosted their annual Indigenous Celebration Game, honouring the deep history, culture, and contributions of Indigenous communities.

This event reflects the team’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and meaningful community engagement, using their influence to uplift Indigenous voices, art, and traditions.

Design de Plume was honoured to contribute to this important initiative.

Jennifer Taback, Co-CEO of Design de Plume and an Anishinaabe-kwe from Shawanaga First Nation, was entrusted with creating a special Indigenous-inspired logo for the Toronto Maple Leafs, used on jerseys and merchandise during the celebration.

Our team collaborated to bring the vision to life, ensuring that every element carried deep meaning rooted in Indigenous teachings and experiences.

The logo reimagines the classic Maple Leaf in a way that centres Indigenous symbolism and storytelling. Rendered as a beaded design, the centrepiece is surrounded by o’demiin (strawberries), a powerful Anishinaabe symbol representing love, healing, and a strong heart.

Inspired by the waters of Ontario’s Georgian Bay, the unique blue tone grounds the design in place and memory, connecting it back to Anishinaabe territory and teachings about the importance of water.

The numbers on the back of the Maple Leafs’ jerseys were completely reimagined, each featuring Indigenous symbolism.

• Dreamcatchers for protection and tradition
• Strawberries on a vine for community and love
• Turtles representing life and the Earth (Turtle Island)
• Cedar branches symbolizing healing and ceremony
• Braided sweetgrass signifying kindness and strength

Each detail woven into the design carries significant cultural meaning, honouring Anishinaabe knowledge and broader Indigenous teachings.

Following the Indigenous Celebration Game, the Toronto Maple Leafs auctioned off the jerseys and merchandise featuring Jennifer’s artwork through the Real Sports Auction website, giving fans a chance to own a piece of this historic collaboration while contributing to an important cause.

The auction was a major success.

$62,302.76

total donation made
(including retail leads)

1,160

total bids placed

80/81

items sold

Proceeds supported the ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency (Eshkiniigjik Naandwechigegamig – A Place for Healing Our Youth / Aabiish Gaa Binjibaaying – Where Did We Come From?), an organization dedicated to the empowerment, leadership development, and healing of Indigenous youth in the Toronto area.

The Indigenous Celebration Night was a multi-faceted event that showcased Indigenous culture and talent beyond the ice:

• A welcome message delivered by Chief Claire Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation opened the evening.
• The crowd was treated to an inspiring hoop dance performance by an Indigenous artist.
• Indigenous-inspired food options were featured at the concession stands.
• The event spotlighted local Indigenous artists, vendors, and youth creators, providing them a platform in front of thousands of fans.

This celebration created an important space for Indigenous excellence to be recognized, celebrated, and uplifted.

It was a profound honour for Design de Plume to contribute to this meaningful project.
Designing for one of the most recognized brands in professional sports — and doing so in a way that centers Indigenous culture, stories, and teachings — was both humbling and powerful.

This collaboration is a testament to what’s possible when organizations make a genuine commitment to reconciliation and representation, moving beyond symbolism into action that supports community empowerment, visibility, and pride.