OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators ( @Senators ), in conjunction with Lord Stanley’s Gift Memorial Monument Inc. (LSMMI), the Department of Canadian Heritage and the City of Ottawa, today announced the launch of a national design competition to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup.

With the unveiling of the competition website at the same time – lordstanleysgift.com – Canadian artists and designers were invited to participate in the design of a monument in honour of Lord Stanley, Canada’s sixth Governor General, and his donation of a Cup in 1892 to the winner of a national hockey competition. The monument to Lord Stanley’s Gift will be placed at the corner of Sparks Street and Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa, and will be gifted to the City of Ottawa once built.

The Senators, Government of Canada, National Hockey League and City of Ottawa are partners in the project and representatives from each were on hand to participate in the announcement.

“We want to make 2017 the most incredible year hockey fans in Ottawa have ever experienced,” said Ottawa Senators owner and chief executive officer Eugene Melnyk. “Not only is it the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, but also the Senators 25th and the 100th of the NHL – all during Canada’s 150th. This monument will be an special part of what we know will be a year to remember and a legacy piece for the storied history of hockey in our city.”

“We have been working on this project since 2009,” added George Hunter, chair of LSMMI. “Today’s announcement of the public art competition is for me the first big step towards building this exciting new monument in our nation’s capital.”

The iconic hockey trophy, the Stanley Cup itself, was on display for the announcement, with Steve Mayer, the NHL’s executive vice-president and executive producer, programming and creative development, assisting at the announcement. “The NHL is pleased to be a partner in the Lord Stanley’s gift project and we look forward to working with the entire group to bring this exciting tribute to the sport of hockey to Canada’s capital city.”

“The City is proud to be a partner in this project and to provide the site for the monument, which very fittingly, is to be located across the street from where the original announcement of the Cup was made 125 years ago,” said mayor Jim Watson at the announcement. “There is no better year than 2017 to be unveiling this monument, as Canada’s 150th anniversary offers an opportunity to celebrate what it means to be Canadian, starting with hockey and all its traditions.”

The Government of Canada is supporting the project through it’s “Commemorate Canada” fund, which is supporting various initiatives in celebration of the 150th anniversary of our country’s Confederation.

David McGuinty, member of parliament for Ottawa South, joined the partners on behalf of the Government of Canada, saying: “This is an exciting project that fits well into Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The monument will stand for years to come as a testament to a sport that unites us all.”

Results of the national design competition will be announced in November 2016, with the official unveiling of the monument to be in December 2017.

Visit the Senators website: www.ottawasenators.com

Engage with the Senators on Twitter: @Senators

Like the Senators on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ottawasenators

Follow the Senators on Instagram: senators

- end -