Your Club’s Jersey is Canada’s History

We invite your organization to participate in a unique initiative, bringing together two pillars of Canadian identity: hockey and the legacy of those who served at Vimy Ridge. Read belowfor more details.

Contact us — whether your organization can participate — or if you would simply like to learn more. Contact us at:

secretary@baybloorcharitiesinc.org

We are happy to provide:

• A formal project brief and partnership agreement
• Details on the archival handling and return process for loaned jerseys
• Information on the street hockey training program and equipment needs
• Branding and recognition guidelines for participating clubs

From the Rink to the Ridge

  The project,  “Givenchy aux couleurs du hockey canadien” (Givenchy in the Colours of Canadian Hockey), carries a powerful double purpose…keeping the memory of Vimy Ridge alive amongst Canadian youth while introducing French youth to the sport and culture of Canadian hockey.

The Occasion

In April 2027, the world will mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge — the engagement widely regarded as a defining moment in the birth of Canadian national pride and awareness. The municipality of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, sitting in the shadow of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, has never forgotten the sacrifices of our soldiers.

For 2027, the municipality has conceived an ambitious commemorative project. But it needs the support of Canadian hockey organizations, like yours, to bring it to life.

The Project at a Glance

Givenchy-en-Gohelle plans to transform its village into “an immersive, Canadian-themed commemoration centred on hockey “— the sport that shaped so many who fought at VimyRidge.

The project has two complementary objectives

1. Keep the memory of Vimy Ridge alive among Canadian youth by connecting the story of the “Byng Boys” to the game they loved. Many of Canada’s earliest hockey icons — players like Scotty Davidson, the Toronto Blueshirts captain and 1914 Stanley Cup champion who became the first professional player to enlist and whose name is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial — traded their sweaters for uniforms. Red Dutton of the Calgary Tigers had his leg mangled by a shell at Vimy, recovered, and went on to become NHL president. The entire eligible roster of the Winnipeg Falcons, who later won Olympic gold in 1920, had enlisted together. These are not distant stories; they are the foundation of the sport your club carries forward today.

2. Introduce French youth to the sport and culture of Canadian hockey through street hockey training clinics, educational programming in local schools, and the SECURE public display of authentic Canadian jerseys across the village. 

The Memorial Cup

Military-rooted in origin, the Memorial Cup was established by Captain James T.Sutherland to honour Canadian hockey players who died in World War I, later rededicated to all Canadians fallen in conflict.

This Project Needs Your Help

There are two specific requests 

1. Jersey Donations or Loans. We are seeking official and symbolic jerseys —whether current, vintage, commemorative, or surplus — to be displayed as part of the village-wide installation in 2027. These “textile artifacts” will serve as living symbols of Canadian culture, staged respectfully and securely throughout Givenchy-en-Gohelle. All loaned jerseys will be handled with full archival care and returned to your organization following the anniversary events. We will formalize this commitment in writing.

2. Street Hockey Training Support. We are also inviting clubs to contribute to street hockey clinics for local French children. You are invited to donate sticks, balls, nets, protective gear, instructional materials, or even facilitate the participation of coaches or youth ambassadors who may wish to travel to France for the anniversary. Imagine young people in a small French village picking up a hockey stick for the first time on the very ground where Canadian soldiers once marched toward the Ridge. That is the experience we aim to create.

The Connection Is Real

The skills cultivated on frozen Canadian ponds — endurance, physical toughness, tactical discipline, collective effort — were the very qualities that prepared the Canadian troops for the Western Front. The soldiers of Vimy played hockey in training camps, organized teams behind the lines, and carried the culture of the rink into the most difficult circumstances imaginable. When we display a hockey jersey on a building in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, we are not making a metaphor. We are telling the truth about who those young Canadians were.

By contributing a jersey or supporting street hockey training, your organization becomes part of a living bridge between 1917 and 2027 — between the wool-knit sweaters of frozenoutdoor ponds and the modern game your players wear with pride today.

Next Steps

Contact us — whether your organization can participate — or if you would simply like to learn more. Contact us at:

secretary@baybloorcharitiesinc.org

We are happy to provide:

• A formal project brief and partnership agreement
• Details on the archival handling and return process for loaned jerseys
• Information on the street hockey training program and equipment needs
• Branding and recognition guidelines for participating clubs