Trudeau cabinet OK's new coins to honour Stanley Cup, Vimy Ridge

Canadian hockey fans are about to score a new coin to mark the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup.

According to details obtained by CBC News, the 25-cent regular circulation coin will feature an image of the Stanley Cup flanked on the left by a hockey player in period uniform and on the right by a player in a modern day uniform. Above the two players and the cup will be a banner with the inscriptions 1892 and 2017. At the bottom of the coin will be the inscription "125 Years Ans."

The obverse side will feature the usual image of the Queen by North Vancouver artist Susanna Blunt.

The Royal Canadian Mint will likely unveil the coin next week.

"It will be in conjunction with the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup," said Alex Reeves, spokesperson for the Mint, who declined to reveal the exact day of the unveiling.

A tribute organized by a number of groups including the National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators and Rideau Hall is scheduled to run March 15-18 to mark the 125th anniversary of the most coveted prize in professional hockey.

100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge

The Stanley Cup quarter is one of two new coins recently authorized by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet.

The second coin, a $2 regular circulation coin to be unveiled later this year, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War Battle of Vimy Ridge. The bloody battle killed or wounded 10,500 Canadians, but it became one of Canada's most celebrated military victories and marked the first time Canadian troops fought together as a single force.

The coin will feature an image of the Vimy Memorial on the inner core and overlapping onto the outer ring of the coin. To the left of the memorial will be a Canadian soldier in a First World War uniform. To the right of the memorial the coin will feature an image of a Canadian veteran saluting.

The coin will also have the same security features that have been on the $2 coin since 2012 such as two micro-engraved maple leaves and a maple leaf that appears and disappears as you move the coin.

The coin commemorating Vimy Ridge is part of a continuing series of $2 coins that over the next six years will mark the anniversaries of important events in the First and Second World Wars, Reeves said.

The two coins are commemorative circulation coins but will be in general circulation the same as any other coin. Each will be issued for a limited time.

In addition, the mint will be issuing collector coins to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge closer to the anniversary of the battle in April.

Reeves said this is a busy year for the mint, with plans for a series of coins to mark Canada's 150th anniversary.

"There are special designs coming up for all of our denominations over the course of the year. It's important to stagger these coins so that one doesn't overwhelm another and overlap."