News Releases

He shoots, he scores! Canada Post ices stamp for 2008 IIHF World Championship

April 25, 2008

To celebrate the 2008 IIHF World Championship taking place in Halifax and Québec City from May 2^nd to May 18^th, Canada Post will issue a domestic rate stamp featuring the sport of hockey.

As Stephen Leacock so eloquently put it, "Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter, we are alive." (1864-1944)

The hunt for hockey's official birthplace remains a hopeless venture, but overwhelming evidence recognizes Montreal's role in establishing the sport of hockey as we know it today. Contemporary newspapers were the first to cite a match in Montreal on March 3, 1875. The game was sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) as the beginning of organized hockey. The McGill Hockey Club was formed in January 1877, and official rules were published the following month. The Montreal Winter Carnival hosted a highly-publicized tournament in 1883, and the founding of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada took place in the city three years later "to improve, foster, and perpetuate the game." From the late 1880s to the early 1890s, hockey fever swept across Ontario and Manitoba, shortly before hitting the American scene. The fervent passion the sport generated in its early days earned it the esteemed role in Canadian culture that continues today.

Creative director Lionel Gadoury and designer Dave Hurds of Context Creative worked with Canadian artist and comic book illustrator Ho Che Anderson to develop the stamp's fresh and energetic design. "Our goal was to come up with a design that would tap into the pulse and excitement of the sport," explains Gadoury. The distinctive horizontal format and tight cropping of the figures combine to express the energy and vigor of world-class competition. The brush strokes and texture within the illustration gives the perception of shredded ice, adding excitement to the noise and fast-paced action. The selective use of special metallic inks and a spot varnish enrich colour reproduction, creating a sense of timelessness for Canada's favourite sport.

The domestic rate stamps, which measure 41.25 mm x 24.75 mm (horizontal) will be available in booklets of ten stamps. The pressure sensitive stamps have simulated perforations and are printed on Tullis Russell paper. Lowe-Martin will print 2.5 million stamps in total. Two different Official First Day Covers, each one bearing a different cancel to recognize both 2008 IIHF World Championship host cities, will be produced. One will read QUÉBEC CITY QC; while the other HALIFAX NS.

More information on this commemorative stamp can be found in the Newsroom section of the Canada Post Web site, and photos of the stamps are available in the Photo Centre of the Newsroom. The stamps and Official First Day Covers will be available at participating post offices, online through the links on the Canada Post Web site (www.canadapost.ca) or by mail from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada or the United States, call toll-free 1 800 565-4362; from other countries call 902-863-6550.