WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Postal Service and Canada Post previewed The History of Hockey stamps that will be dedicated Oct. 20 and available nationwide that day.

Postmaster General and CEO Megan Brennan will be joined by Canada Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra for the 11 a.m. ET ceremony at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena Belfor Training Center. The event is free and open to the public. Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the ceremony live at facebook.com/USPS. Please share the news using the hashtag #HockeyStamps.

“The Postal Service is honored to partner with Canada Post to produce The History of Hockey stamps,” said Brennan. “This sport exemplifies a wonderful tradition of competition and camaraderie between our nations, and these commemorative stamps are a special way to celebrate the game that transcends borders.”

The souvenir sheet, which will be revealed during the Oct. 20 dedication ceremony, features a scene that illustrates the evolution of the sport across generations. The selvage — or area outside of the stamps on the souvenir sheet — depicts a father teaching his daughter how to play hockey on a pond.

The second stamp pictures a vintage player representing the game’s past set against a snowy background. One player is wearing a contemporary uniform and using modern equipment, and the other is wearing vintage garb and using old-fashioned equipment. The two vertically stacked stamps in the souvenir sheet, which are arranged to mirror each other, are identical to those sold also as a pane of 20. “The History of Hockey” appears in the bottom left corner of the sheet under the flags of the United States and Canada.

As Forever stamps, The History of Hockey stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.  

Designed by Subplot Design Inc., for Canada Post, the artwork on the stamp and stamps is intended to celebrate and reflect on the history of hockey. KC Armstrong of Toronto, ON, shot the photographs. Susan Gilson was the art director of the Canadian version of the stamps. William J. Gicker was the art director of the American version of the stamps

In the 1800s, the sport truly began to take shape in Eastern Canada. By the late 19th century, the game had grown popular in the United States. American Malcolm Greene Chace became interested in the game and assembled a group of players from various universities. In 1896, a team from Yale, which included Chace, faced Johns Hopkins University in the first college hockey game. Soon, professional leagues formed in North America. And today, women’s hockey is thriving. The National Hockey Association began play in 1910 and evolved into the National Hockey League in 1917. In 1924 the Boston Bruins became the first American team to join the National Hockey League.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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