Iconic Maple Leaf missing from IIHF-mandated Canada women’s hockey jerseys

ESBJERG — Canadian hockey players often speak of their pride in representing the Maple Leaf, but that iconic national symbol will be missing from this year’s world women’s hockey championship.

Both Canada and the United States have been mandated by the International Ice Hockey Federation to wear generic jerseys designed by the IIHF and its jersey supplier, True Hockey, at the tournament, which starts Friday in Denmark.

A photo taken at Thursday’s media day and posted on the IIHF’s Facebook page shows Canada goaltender Kayle Osborne wearing a red jersey with few adornments.

“Canada” appears in white block letters across the chest. The jersey otherwise features a white collar with a red map of Canada in the middle, along with red and black horizontal stripes between two white stripes near the bottom of the sleeves and torso.

The IIHF announced an agreement with True Hockey in a press release last October that stated the company would be the “exclusive supplier of team uniforms and apparel for all IIHF member national associations for all international events” beginning in 2026-27.

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, meanwhile, have apparel and jersey contracts of their own in place with Bauer and CCM, respectively, and have challenged the IIHF arrangement in a Swiss court.

The absence of the Maple Leaf wasn’t entirely unexpected. A Zurich court rejected Hockey Canada’s bid to temporarily block the IIHF’s deal with True Hockey on Sept. 16.

The court noted the proposed generic jersey did not use any of Hockey Canada’s protected marks. The Maple Leaf appears in 11 of the 12 trademarks cited in the court case and in eight of the organization’s official marks.

The court also noted the IIHF had promised not to use those marks without permission and said Hockey Canada could take part in the design process. The ruling dealt with interim measures and left the broader dispute over commercial rights unresolved.

IIHF bylaws state that it has final approval on jersey designs.

The recently released Hockey Canada jersey designed by Bauer features the national body’s logo — a silhouette of a hockey player skating in front of a red and black Maple Leaf.

Canada starts its tournament Friday against Sweden.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press