Canadian hockey stamps Ice hockey has been a key element of Canada ' s cultural and social history . This has been captured on various releases from Canada Post . In 1956 Canada Post Office released a 5¢ stamp paying tribute to Canadian hockey players for " the prestige the have earned for Canada in international competition . " Releases of the late 20th Century included the commemoration of the XV Olympic Winter Games held in Calgary , a three stamp set honouring the 75th Anniversary of the National Hockey League , the 100th Anniversary of the Stanley Cup , and the 25th Anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series . In the 2000s , the key release has been the series of National Hockey League All - Stars . The series lasted from 2000 to 2005 . Other hockey issues have included a commemorative envelope to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the International Postal Hockey Tournament and a stamp to commemorate the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , Utah featured a hockey player . National Hockey League All - Star Stamps . The world of sports is not without its celebrations in the millennium year , and perhaps first among them was the 50th National Hockey League ( NHL ) All - Star Game . Held on February 6 , 2000 in Toronto , host city of the first official all - star game in 1947 , the match was the centrepiece of the all - star weekend at the Air Canada Centre . In honour of this historic Canadian event , Canada Post is proud to present a commemorative six - stamp issue featuring some of this country ' s greatest hockey stars . Available as a 6 - stamp souvenir sheet with a souvenir folder , the same 6 - stamp souvenir sheet without a folder , and on an OFDC three - pack , this domestic - rate release pays tribute to a tradition that reaches back to hockey ' s early days . The souvenir sheet features an All - Star lineup of Canadian hockey greats including Wayne Gretzky " The Great One " , Gordie Howe " Mr . Hockey " , Maurice " Rocket " Richard , Doug Harvey , Bobby Orr and Jacques Plante . Early all - star matches were staged to raise funds in support of the families of ailing or deceased players . The first such game took place on January 2 , 1908 , when the Hod Stuart Memorial Match was held for the family of the late Montreal Wanderers defenseman who had died in a diving accident . The NHL tradition of selecting first - and second - team all - stars began in 1930 - 31 season . Three years later , the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated an NHL all - star team 7 - 3 in a match to benefit Toronto forward Ace Bailey and his family . Bailey ' s career had ended a few months before when he fractured his skull during a game in Boston . The 50th game falls in 2000 though the tradition of an annual all - star game began 53 years ago . Two matches were pre - empted by speciality series - the 1979 Challenge Cup and Rendez - Vous ' 87 . Combining canvas illustration and computer design , artists Dan Fell and Vincent McIndoe joined forces for the 50th NHL All - Star Game issue . Action vignettes featuring the players appear to emerge from the spotlighted ice surface , drawing attention to the famous careers brought together for this special all - star game . The all - star logo is flanked by vignettes of the silhouettes of Maple Leaf Gardens and the Air Canada Centre - sites of the first and 50th HNL All - Star Game . Each star in the row of five along the bottom of the souvenir sheet symbolizes ten years of All - Star match - ups . NHL 75th Anniversary Stamps . A Prestige Booklet containing three stamp designs of different sporting eras will be issued on October 9 , 1992 to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Hockey League . With informative text and illustrations , the 25 - stamp booklet covers three outstanding eras of the league ' s history : first the early years ( 1917 – 1942 ) ; the six - team years ( 1942 – 1967 ) ; and the expansion years ( 1968 – 1992 ) . The first stamp shows hockey - related artifacts like an early puck , a stick and a pair of goalie skates . The player is Babe Siebert from the Montreal Maroons . The next stamp displays the crests of the six teams competing between 1942 and 1967 . The vignette portrays Claude Provost and Terry Sawchuck . The third illustrates Jacque Plante ' s famous goalie mask , his last . The original NHL was founded in November 1917 as a means to disband the old National Hockey Association and discredit Toronto owner Eddie Livingstone . Initially the league boasted five teams , including the defunct and recently resurrected Ottawa Senators . By 1926 it had expanded south , with both a Canadian and an American division . As the game and the league continued to evolve , many changes were made , including the mandatory sweater number in 1930 , the goal green light in 1938 and the red line in 1943 . The Series of the Century , 1972 . With 34 seconds left in Game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and Russia , Paul Henderson scored the goal that gave Canada the 6 - 5 lead . The detail of the goal includes Phil Esposito intercepting the puck and firing a shot toward the net . By this time Henderson had picked himself up off the ice , picked up Esposito ' s rebound [ and ] fired the puck at Tretiak . The Soviet goalkeeper got a toe on the shot but lost his balance as he made the save . Henderson pounced on the rebound and dribbled the puck under a prone Tretiak just as Liapkin reached him . To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1972 Canada - Soviet hockey series and the momentous day in the history of Canada ' s favourite pastime , Canada Post released " The Series of the Century " commemorative stamp issue . Designed by Charles Vinh of Montreal , the set of two domestic - rate stamps depicts Team Canada ' s thrilling victory exquisite illustrations , adaptations of photographs taken by Montreal ' s Denis Brodeur . The first stamp , features the immediate aftermath of the all - important goal . Sports hero Paul Henderson raises his arms in jubilation against the backdrop of the Russian team net . The second stamp captures the team in a congratulatory huddle after the game . Canada Post also released a pane of 10 stamps with both designs . On top of this , Canada Post issued a pane of 10 stamps with an overprint of two hockey sticks , a puck , and Paul Henderson ' s signature . The overprinted panes were only available as part of a Canada Post special collector ' s gift box that contained a Paul Henderson signed hockey puck , poster , sweatshirt with " The Goal " on the front , and the overprinted pane of 10 stamps . The number of gift sets issued is not known , but the issue price for the gift box was $ 39 . 95 at Post Offices . The overprinted pane is now valued in the Unitrade Canadian Stamp Catalogue at $ 100 . 00 , while the boxed set is valued at $ 125 . 00 . The normal pane of the ten stamps is valued at just over $ 10 . 00 Canadian .