Jennifer Taback, an Anishinaabe-kwe artist, created a new logo for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ upcoming Indigenous Celebration Game against the Vancouver Canucks on January 11.

Taback, who is from Shawanaga First Nation, spoke to the Maple Leafs’ social team and detailed the new logo, which was unveiled Wednesday.

“It’s such an exciting opportunity to re-imagine such a well-known logo and share my interpretation with both my community and the Maple Leafs’ community,” Taback said. “As an Anishinaabe-kwe from Shawanaga First Nation, I’m passionate about showcasing our cultural and visual storytelling through design and art.

“Our artistic style emphasizes line work and the iconography of meaningful symbols, and it was fascination to bend both traditional and Western elements. Miigwetch (thank you) for the opportunity to share this with all the fans.”

Taback works at Design de Plume, an Indigenous and women-owned creative agency that designs inclusive and accessible solutions. The logo she designed is a beaded Maple Leaf, with sweetgrass and cedar included, and a dreamcatcher that honours her parents. In the centre of the logo, Taback included a turtle, which represents her clan and Turtle Island, the land we share.

“The logo is a collection of symbols that reflect my experiences, community and meaningful stories as an urban Indigenous person. The shades of blue represent the waters of Georgian Bay and the essential role that water plays in our lives and in Northern Ontario,” Taback wrote.

It’s a beautiful logo and we certainly appreciate the time and care Taback took to design an inspiring Maple Leafs logo, that will certainly be appreciated by everyone at Saturday’s game. This isn’t the first initiative by MLSE to celebrate Indigenous heritage this year, as the Marlies held their game against the Cleveland Monsters on January 5, while the Toronto Raptors celebrated on January 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks, with a logo created by Luke Swinson, a member of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.