News releases

REGINA – Hours before the puck drops to start the 2018 Mastercard Memorial Cup Championship tournament, Canada Post lifted the veil on its newest stamp at City Hall, celebrating the storied history of one of the most cherished trophies in sport.

“The Memorial Cup, 100^th Presentation stamp symbolizes junior hockey supremacy in North America, hockey’s connection to community and Canadians’ respect for tradition,” says Jessica McDonald, Canada Post’s Chair of the Board of Directors and Interim President and CEO. “The Cup is part of the very fabric of our great nation.”

Donated in remembrance of Canadians who made the supreme sacrifice for their country during the First World War, the Cup was rededicated in 2010 to the memory of all members of the Canadian Armed Forces who’ve lost their lives in the line of duty.

“What others have given us endures through our acts of remembrance, such as the Memorial Cup,” says The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, the Minister of Public Service and Procurement who is responsible for Canada Post. “Over the decades, competing for this Cup has shaped the characters and lives of thousands of young men.”

The Cup is awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion, following a four-team, round-robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL’s member leagues: the Western Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League.

“The CHL is very proud to be celebrating this special year in Regina,” says CHL President David Branch. “We thank Canada Post for commemorating this event and over the next 10 days, we’ll see some of the best junior players in the world compete for the ultimate prize in junior hockey.”

Illustrated by Louis Hébert and designed by Paprika of Montréal, the stamp evokes the Canadian flag. It features two players from the Regina Pats, which in 1919 competed in the first Memorial Cup against the University of Toronto Schools of the Ontario Hockey Association. The Pats are this year’s host team.

“The Regina Pats have a very long history in our community and in Canada’s hockey community,” said Regina Mayor Michael Fougere. “This design acknowledges that the Pats legacy is intertwined with the Memorial Cup’s, and I have no doubt our residents will be very proud of this representation.”

The stamp comes in pennant-shaped booklets of 10 and shows a Pats player from yesteryear facing off against a modern-day player, with an illustration of the Memorial Cup between them. As a tribute to the trophy’s origins, the Official First Day Cover includes a photo of two Canadian Armed Forces members accompanying the Cup. The OFDC is cancelled in Regina.

On May 27, 2018, the Memorial Cup will be presented for the 100^th time at the Brandt Centre in Regina, where tonight the host Regina Pats play the champion Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League in the first game of this year’s national tournament.

The stamps and all related products are available at retail outlets and online at canadapost.ca/memorialcup. Click here for stamp images and Details magazine.

For more information:
Media relations
613-734-8888
media@canadapost.ca