Naval Centennial Grey Cup Wager Benefits Charity

REGINA – The 2010 Grey Cup game has a special significance for the Canadian Navy. Coincidentally, the Canadian Navy and the Saskatchewan Roughriders are both celebrating their centennial. Furthermore, the Montreal Allouettes are from the same city as the Navy team that won the Grey Cup in 1944.

To mark the occasion the frigate HMCS Regina and Regina’s Naval Reserve Division HMCS Queen have made a wager with the frigate HMCS Montreal and Montreal’s Naval Reserve Division HMCS Donnacona. Each has put up $250 to be donated to a charity in the winning city. A similar wager prior to last year’s Grey Cup game resulted in a gift of $1000 to the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Donnacona’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Kim Kubeck, is very confident. “In 1944, Donnacona became the only Navy team to win the Grey Cup. It’s only right that another Montreal team should repeat the victory in the Navy’s centennial year.” An Allouettes repeat would cause $1000 to be donated to Hospital Ste Justine, another children’s hospital.

Her opposite number in Regina sees things a little differently. “The Riders and the Navy share a centennial, and the Riders have always been very good to the Navy,” according to Lt.-Cmdr. Corey Thiemann. “As the Commanding Officer of Queen, I want to see the Riders crown their centennial year with a Grey Cup.” A Rider victory would cause $1000 presented to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation to support paediatric medicine.

In addition to the charity donation, the losing frigate will fly the Grey Cup champion team’s flag for one full week, while the Commanding Officer of the losing Naval Reserve Division will wear the winning team’s jersey on a subsequent training night.

HMC Ships Queen, in Regina, and Donnacona, in Montreal are two of 24 Naval Reserve Divisions across Canada. Their mission is to provide trained sailors for Canada’s Navy, and to provide a naval presence in their home cities.

HMC Ships Regina and Montreal are Halifax Class Frigates stationed in Esquimalt, B.C. andHalifax, N.S.

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