Over the next week and half, hockey teams will be competing in Brandon to win the Memorial Cup, but some say the coveted trophy already belongs to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
"It is with great respect and gratitude that we rededicate the memorial cup to the memory of fallen Canadian soldiers," said Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison.
For the first time since 1919 the Memorial Cup is being rededicated to fallen soldiers.
Hundreds of hockey fans and military families gathered at Canadian Forces Base Shilo to mark the arrival of the Memorial Cup as it makes its way to Brandon.
The trophy arrived military-style with a parade and a fly-past by Canada’s Snowbirds.
Dignitaries present included the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and members of the Canadian Hockey League.
Former Wheat Kings player and memorial cup champion Trevor Kidd attended the special ceremony Thursday.
"It was really nice to be a part of this and see what it really means," says Kidd.
He admits he didn’t appreciate the meaning of the trophy when he was a young player.
"When you’re a young kid back then, you’re worrying about your next meal and sleeping in the day after a hockey game and finishing your grade 12. Other things on the radar screen," says Kidd.
Private Natale was one of the hundreds of Shilo-based soldiers who took part in the event.
He says the hockey tournament will have a special meaning for him and his comrades.
"It’s like a huge morale boost for us, I mean we’re Canadian and we love hockey," he says.
The Memorial Cup Championship officially begins Friday at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.
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