Canada goaltender Kayle Osborne wears a generic jersey during media day at the IIHF Women's World Championship in Herning, Denmark, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. Canada will be required to wear jerseys supplied by the International Ice Hockey Federation amid a dispute over commercial rights to national team uniforms. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — IIHF (Mandatory Credit)

By The Canadian Press

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

Nov 5, 2026 | 1:50 PM

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.

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Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, meanwhile, have apparel and jersey contracts of their own in place with Bauer and CCM, respectively, and have been pushing back in a Swiss court.

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.

The Maple Leaf has long been a prominent element of Canada’s hockey branding.

Canada starts its tournament Friday against Sweden. 

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

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

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

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