 The Canadian team would be known as Team Canada for the first time . The name and sweater design was done by advertising agency Vickers and Benson . Eagleson wanted to call the team the " NHL All @-@ Stars " , but the agency convinced Eagleson otherwise , as the teams were from the USSR and Canada . The name Team Canada was inspired by the contemporary auto @-@ racing team Team McLaren . The name is attributed to copy writer Terry Hill , whose first choice " The Dream Team " was rejected . The design of the sweater by designer John Lloyd utilized an enormous stylized maple leaf , like the Canadian flag , that covers the front . No numbers were on the sleeves , only on the back with the wording " CANADA " above the number . The sweater used only two colours : red and white , the maple leaf , numbers and letters in one colour and the rest of the sweater the other . The name , sweater design and a team song were all prepared in 24 hours , in time for a previously scheduled news conference . The series itself was simply known at the time as the Canada @-@ USSR Series , although the name " Friendship Series " had been suggested by the Government of Canada Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 
