No, because the NHL is Canadian. It was founded in Ottawa, and the Cup was presented by Lord Stanley. MLB has a stronger argument but I don't care much about baseball.
They are the Maple Leafs because they are named after a Canadian Army regiment which had that spelling.
Quite obviously, I shall not be taking this bet.
I don't have an opinion on this, only facts. The four founder members of the NHL were:
Montreal Canadians
Montreal Wanderers
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Arenas
The first US team to join the NHL, the Boston Bruins, didn't do so until 7 years after the league was formed.
Canadiens, apparently.
Odd to still call it the National league when it's two different nations, I suppose.
How are Derby getting along?
Ok. Then why is the regiment called the Maple Leafs? Or is the plural of leaf “leafs” in Canadienland?
I didn’t realise the NHL was Canadian and they let the Americans in. But then, I’m not a massive ice hockey fan. Either way, good bit of trivia…
No, we say "leaves" (q.v. the song Fallen Leaves by Canadian band Billy Talent). I believe it's because the Maple Leaf after which the team and military unit take their name is the regimental insignia and thus a proper noun, which doesn't follow the same rules of pluralisation.
