1971 Canadian Figure Skating Championships Pin: Winterpeg.

Last Updated on March 2, 2024 by Netropolitan Museum

Winter greetings were in store for those attending Canada’s premier figure skating event

Collectors of figure skating pins who attended the 1971 Canadian Figure Skating Championships were greeted with a neat and clean pin to proudly display on their coat lapels and scarves. And those collectors—along with everyone else—also were greeted with cold January weather and a blizzard to boot. It was, after all, winter in Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, located in central Canada. It’s fitting that the city is often called Winterpeg.

Pin Gallery: 1971 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

It just wouldn’t be Canadian if an item—no matter what it is—didn’t have a maple leaf emblazoned somewhere on it. The 1971 Canadian Championships pin did not disappoint in this regard. Next to an abstract illustration of a figure skater in black, the national symbol proudly and loudly proclaims “Made in Canada.” It’s like a familiar friend, always there to reassure that everything is fine. Around the circumference of the pin on the stark white background are the event name, location, and year: “Canadian Figure Skating Championships Winnipeg 1971.” The pin is simple yet effective.

Unlike pins issued for many early U.S. Figure Skating Championships that use the colloquial wording “Nationals” or a derivative, the Canadians appear to have resisted that approach until much later. Only beginning in 1979 for the championships held in Thunder Bay did the first use of the colloquial term “Canadians” appear on a national event pin.¹

Enjoy this week’s figure skating pins blog: 1971 Canadian Figure Skating Championships Pin: Winterpeg.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on September 18, 2021, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

¹Based on Canadian Championships pins in the collection of The Netropolitan, which includes 1963 and at least one pin from each national championships from 1970 through 1990.

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