transitmaps:

Fantasy Map: History of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Submitted by just about the entire population of Toronto, I think.

Created by Spacing’s Matthew Blackett in a collaboration with designer Jamie Hodgson, this subway-style map attempts to present a brief history of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.

Now, as an Australian, I’ll fully admit that my knowledge of ice hockey is a little thin, and I know even less about the Maple Leafs franchise. For me, ice hockey is that one question hiding in the Trivial Pursuit card deck that I have absolutely no idea about… my answer is always, “uhhh…. Wayne Gretzky?” However, this map is well-designed enough that I can piece together the important stuff… especially that the team was once highly successful and now seems to have fallen on harder times. The note regarding the indefinite delay of the construction of the Stanley Cup Line speaks volumes about the team’s long-suffering fans.

What I really like about this map is that the thematic lines are linked when appropriate. A player was a captain and a Hall of Famer? Stops on both lines! There are plenty of other thematic maps out there that just drop names at random onto something that may (or may not) resemble an actual subway map and call it a day, so it’s nice to see some proper thought being put into this one.

(Source: Spacing Toronto)