The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium are inviting Canadians to celebrate the rich and storied history of the Olympic Winter Games by voting on the top 10 Canadian Winter Olympic moments of all time for a chance to win one of two trips for two to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The top 10 Canadian Winter Olympic moments, as selected by an independent voting panel, are:

• Nancy Greene– gold medal and silver medal, alpine skiing, Grenoble 1968

• Gaétan Boucher– two gold medals and one silver medal, speed skating, Sarajevo 1984

• Marc Gagnon– gold medal, short track speed skating, Salt Lake City 2002

• Catriona Le May Doan– gold medal, speed skating, Salt Lake City 2002

• Men’s Hockey Team– gold medal, Salt Lake City 2002

• Women’s Hockey Team– gold medal, Salt Lake City 2002

• Jamie Salé and David Pelletier– gold medal, figure skating, Salt Lake City 2002

• Beckie Scott– gold medal, cross-country skiing, Salt Lake City 2002

• Cindy Klassen– one gold medal, two silver medals and two bronze medals, speed skating, Turin 2006

• Clara Hughes– gold medal, speed skating, Turin 2006

The top three moments will be featured on 25-cent coins, each with a mintage of 22 million, and will enter into circulation in the fall of 2009, leading up to Vancouver 2010. The results of the voting will be revealed in a one-hour prime-time broadcast special, in English and French, in September 2009 on CTV, TSN and RDS.

"Whether they recently witnessed it in real-time or read about it decades later, Canadians from coast to coast can recall that special moment in our country's winter sports history that instilled a sense of pride like no other," said Ian E. Bennett, president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "We’re proud to give Canadians the opportunity to determine the most extraordinary Olympic Winter Games moments to complete our Vancouver 2010 circulation coin program."

Voting begins February 12 and runs through March 25 at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca. Canadians are encouraged to cast their votes and rank their favourite moments, while also sharing their memories about each moment. A random draw will take place in early April to determine two winners, each of whom will receive a trip for two to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The 25-cent coins featuring the top three moments are part of the Mint’s extensive circulation program commemorating the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Launched in January 2007, the collection includes 17 coins featuring designs related to the 2010 Winter Games. Canadians can share in the pride and touch the Games by collecting and saving these special coins.