Canada Post releases commemorative stamp for 100th Memorial Cup in Regina

A commemorative stamp has been unveiled by Canada Post in Regina to honour the 100thMemorial Cup, asthis year's Canadian Hockey League tournament is underway in the city.

Canada Post CEO Jessica McDonald said the stamp, unveiled Friday, symbolizes how much hockey means to people across the country.

"The Cup is part of the very fabric of our great nation," she said.

The Memorial Cup was initially donated in remembrance of Canadians who died during the First World War. In 2010, the cup was rededicated to all members of the Canadian Armed Forces who losttheir lives on duty.

Pats history with the Cup

The Memorial Cup is awarded every year to the Canadian Hockey League champion, after a four-team, round-robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's member leagues: the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League.

The stamp, illustrated by Louis Hbert, was made to resemble the Canadian flag. It features two players from the Regina Pats one of the teams that competed in the first Memorial Cup in 1919. The stampshows a Pats player from the past facing off against a modern-day player, with an illustration of the Memorial Cup between them.

"The Regina Pats have a very long history in our community and in Canada's hockey community," said Regina Mayor Michael Fougerein a statement.

"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."

On Friday night, the host Pats opened the tournamentwith a 3-2 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs.

TheSwift Current Broncos will face off against theAcadieBathurstTitan on Saturday.

The Memorial Cup will be presented for the 100th time at the Brandt Centre in Regina on May 27.

The new stamps are availablein booklets of 10in storesand on the Canada Post website.