Have you ever ridden the subway through College station and wondered: why are the rivals of my favourite hockey team plastered on the wall?
It’s been 40 years since artist Charles Pachter designed and painted a pair of opposing murals that recognized Toronto’s love for its national pastime — located steps away from the old Maple Leaf Gardens.
Toronto Maple Leafs players were depicted on the station’s southbound platform, while controversially, the Montreal Canadiens were painted on the northbound platform.
Prior to its unveiling in 1985, the TTC requested permission from both teams to use their logos.
The piece, which Pachter called Hockey Knights in Canada, raised some eyebrows at the time — perhaps none greater than from former Leafs owner Harold Ballard.
Appalled by the idea, Ballard insisted if the mural was going to include the Habs, then he did not want the Leafs logo to be used at all. Tensions were already high at the time as the Leafs were in the midst of their worst season to date.
To avoid a legal battle, Pachter had to make several changes, which included removing the name on the Leafs crest. Those adaptations are still present today.
This past Monday, TorontoToday spent some time outside Scotiabank Arena to see how fans feel about the murals after all these years.
Some are in favour of the Habs mural and appreciate the rivalry’s storied history, while others said they’d like to see something else go in its place — like another homage to the Leafs, or new tributes that pay respect to women’s hockey or Indigenous culture.
