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A silver cup attached to a large black base with several medallions each engraved with the name of the team and players for each successive champion.

The Memorial Cup

The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion. Each year the champions from three CHL member leagues—the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), along with a host team—compete in the MasterCard Memorial Cup Tournament. The OHL's Windsor Spitfires are the defending champions, having won the 2009 Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Quebec and the 2010 tournament in Brandon, Manitoba.

Known originally as the OHA Memorial Cup, it was donated in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association in honour of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I. From its donation in 1919 until 1971, the Memorial Cup was awarded via a series of playoffs to the junior hockey champion of Canada. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association moved to the current tournament format in 1972 when it divided Junior A hockey into two tiers, naming the Memorial Cup as the championship of the Major Junior rank. Sixty teams across the CHL's three member leagues are eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup, representing nine provinces and five American states.

The Western Hockey League has won the title 18 times since the adoption of the three league tournament format in 1972. The Ontario Hockey League has 14 titles, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has 7.[1] The Toronto Marlboros won the most titles with six. Among currently active teams, the Oshawa Generals and Regina Pats lead with four titles each.

Champions and challengers

1919 to 1971

A collage of 14 players and coaches and two championship trophies under the headline text "Calgary Canadians World's Junior Champions 1925 1926".

The 1926 Calgary Canadians were Alberta's first Memorial Cup champion.[2]

The Memorial Cup was presented to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in remembrance of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I.[3] It was to be awarded to the junior hockey champions of Canada in an east versus west format. The eastern Canadian champion, who from 1932 won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy, met the western Canadian champion, winners of the Abbott Cup.[4] The first championship featured the University of Toronto Schools against the Regina Patricias (now the Pats) in a two-game, total-goals series. The University of Toronto won the title easily, defeating Regina by scores of 14–3 and 15–5 to win the series with a total score of 29–8.[2]

The head-to-head competition for the Memorial Cup has changed formats several times. The CAHA moved to a best-of-three format in 1925 as the first team to win two games was declared the champion.[5] In 1938, the series was increased to best-of-five, [6] and to best-of-seven in 1943.[7] There were two exceptions to these formats. The 1949 final between the Montreal Royals and the Brandon Wheat Kings required an eighth game after the third game ended in a tie.[8] The 1971 final between the Quebec Remparts and the Edmonton Oil Kings was nearly canceled outright in the wake of controversy surrounding the inclusion of the previously outlawed Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) as the western league was allowed to use more over-age players and received a larger travel allowance from the CAHA. The differences were resolved, and an abbreviated best-of-three series was held in Quebec City, Quebec.[9]

While the Memorial Cup was not intended to be a challenge trophy, a team has twice challenged the defending champion for the cup. After the Toronto Canoe Club defeated the Selkirk Fishermen in 1920, they were met with a challenge by the Fort William Beavers for the trophy. Toronto agreed, and easily defeated Fort William 11–1 in a single game playoff.[10] The second challenge occurred a half-century later, in 1970. The WCHL's Flin Flon Bombers challenged the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Considered an outlaw league by the CAHA, WCHL teams were not permitted to participate in the Memorial Cup playoffs. The Junior Canadiens declined the challenge.[11]

TG = total goals. The team that scored the most goals in two games won the championship. From 1925 onward, the total represents the number of games won.

Cup Champion[3] Result[12] Runner-up[12] Host location(s)[12]
1919 University of Toronto Schools 29–8 (TG) Regina Patricias Toronto
1920 Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers 15–5 (TG) Selkirk Fishermen Toronto
1921 Winnipeg Junior Falcons 11–9 (TG) Stratford Midgets Toronto
1922 Fort William War Veterans 8–7 (TG) Regina Patricias Winnipeg
1923 University of Manitoba Bisons 14–6 (TG) Kitchener Colts Toronto
1924 Owen Sound Greys 7–5 (TG) Calgary Canadians Winnipeg
1925 Regina Pats 2–0 Toronto Aura Lee Toronto
1926 Calgary Canadians 2–1 Queen's University Winnipeg
1927 Owen Sound Greys 2–0 Port Arthur West End Jrs. Toronto
1928 Regina Monarchs 2–1 Ottawa Gunners Toronto
1929 Toronto Marlboros 2–0 Elmwood Millionaires Toronto
1930 Regina Pats 2–0 West Toronto Nationals Winnipeg
1931 Elmwood Millionaires 2–1 Ottawa Primroses Toronto and Ottawa
1932 Sudbury Cub Wolves 2–1 Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg
1933 Newmarket Redmen 2–0 Regina Pats Toronto
1934 Toronto St. Michael's Majors 2–0 Edmonton Athletics Winnipeg
1935 Winnipeg Monarchs 2–1 Sudbury Cub Wolves Winnipeg
1936 West Toronto Nationals 2–0 Saskatoon Wesleys Toronto
1937 Winnipeg Monarchs 2–1 Copper Cliff Redmen Toronto
1938 St. Boniface Seals 3–2 Oshawa Generals Toronto
1939 Oshawa Generals 3–1 Edmonton Athletic Club Toronto
1940 Oshawa Generals 3–1 Kenora Thistles Winnipeg
1941 Winnipeg Rangers 3–2 Montreal Royals Toronto and Montreal
1942 Portage la Prairie Terriers 3–1 Oshawa Generals Winnipeg
1943 Winnipeg Rangers 4–2 Oshawa Generals Toronto
1944 Oshawa Generals 4–0 Trail Smoke Eaters Toronto
1945 Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–1 Moose Jaw Canucks Toronto
1946 Winnipeg Monarchs 4–3 Toronto St. Michael's Majors Toronto
1947 Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–0 Moose Jaw Canucks Winnipeg, Moose Jaw and Regina
1948 Port Arthur West End Bruins 4–0 Barrie Flyers Toronto
1949 Montreal Royals 4–3–1 Brandon Wheat Kings Winnipeg and Brandon
1950 Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–1 Regina Pats Montreal and Toronto
1951 Barrie Flyers 4–0 Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg and Brandon
1952 Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters 4–0 Regina Pats Toronto
1953 Barrie Flyers 4–1 St. Boniface Canadiens Winnipeg and Brandon
1954 St. Catharines Teepees 4–0–1 Edmonton Oil Kings Toronto
1955 Toronto Marlboros 4–1 Regina Pats Regina
1956 Toronto Marlboros 4–0–1 Regina Pats Toronto
1957 Flin Flon Bombers 4–3 Ottawa Junior Canadiens Flin Flon and Regina
1958 Ottawa-Hull Junior Canadiens 4–2 Regina Pats Ottawa and Hull
1959 Winnipeg Braves 4–1 Peterborough TPT Petes Winnipeg and Brandon
1960 St. Catharines Teepees 4–2 Edmonton Oil Kings St. Catharines and Toronto
1961 Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–2 Edmonton Oil Kings Edmonton
1962 Hamilton Red Wings 4–1 Edmonton Oil Kings Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener
1963 Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2 Niagara Falls Flyers Edmonton
1964 Toronto Marlboros 4–0 Edmonton Oil Kings Toronto
1965 Niagara Falls Flyers 4–1 Edmonton Oil Kings Edmonton
1966 Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2 Oshawa Generals Toronto
1967 Toronto Marlboros 4–1 Port Arthur Marrs Thunder Bay
1968 Niagara Falls Flyers 4–1 Estevan Bruins Niagara Falls and Montreal
1969 Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–0 Regina Pats Montreal and Regina
1970 Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–0 Weyburn Red Wings Montreal
1971 Quebec Remparts 2–0 Edmonton Oil Kings Quebec City

1972 to 1982

In 1970, the CAHA divided the Junior A ranks into two levels, creating a Major–Junior tier that consisted of three leagues: the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA, now the OHL) and the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL, now WHL). It was decided that the Memorial Cup would be the championship trophy of the Major Junior leagues, while the Manitoba Centennial Trophy was created as the Junior A championship.[2] The CAHA decided that beginning in 1972, the Memorial Cup would be determined via a double round-robin tournament (four games each) between the champion of the three leagues, featuring a single game championship involving the top two finishers in the tournament.[13] The creation of the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks in 1976 opened the competition up to non-Canadian teams for the first time, and in 1982, the Winter Hawks became the first American team in Memorial Cup history to compete for the trophy.[14]

Cup Champion[3] Score[12] Runner-up[12] Additional participants[12] Host location(s)[12]
1972 Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) 2–1 Peterborough Petes (OHA) Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) Ottawa
1973 Toronto Marlboros (OHA) 9–1 Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) Montreal
1974 Regina Pats (WCHL) 7–4 Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) St. Catharines Black Hawks (OHA) Calgary
1975 Toronto Marlboros (OHA) 7–3 New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) Kitchener
1976 Hamilton Fincups (OHA) 5–2 New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) Montreal
1977 New Westminster Bruins (WCHL) 6–5 Ottawa 67's (OHA) Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) Vancouver
1978 New Westminster Bruins (WHL) 7–4 Peterborough Petes (OHA) Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL) Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie
1979 Peterborough Petes (OHA) 2–1 (OT) Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL) Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Verdun
1980 Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) 3–2 (OT) Peterborough Petes (OHA) Regina Pats (WHL) Brandon and Regina
1981 Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) 5–2 Kitchener Rangers (OHL) Victoria Cougars (WHL) Windsor
1982 Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 7–4 Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) Hull

1983 to present

The members of an ice hockey team collectively raise a trophy in celebration while numerous dignitaries and members of the media surround them.

The Vancouver Giants celebrate after winning the 2007 championship on home ice.

The Memorial Cup tournament was expanded to four teams in 1983; a pre-determined host team was added in place of holding the tournament in a neutral host city. The first such host team was the Portland Winter Hawks, who set numerous firsts in the 1983 tournament. It represented the first time Memorial Cup games were held outside Canada, and by virtue of winning the tournament, the Winter Hawks became the first American team to win the Cup. The Winter Hawks also became the first team in Memorial Cup history to win the championship despite failing to win its own league title—they had been defeated by the Lethbridge Broncos in the WHL playoffs.

The four-team format remains in use, and the host team cycles evenly between all three leagues. In 1987, however, only three teams competed for the Memorial Cup. To determine the host team for that tournament, the OHL held a "super series" between its two regular season division winners before the start of the playoffs. The tournament was won by the Oshawa Generals, who went on to win the OHL championship. As a result, the OHL chose to send only Oshawa to the Memorial Cup. In all other tournaments, if the host team had also won their league title, that league's losing finalist also qualified for the Memorial Cup.

Since the current format was adopted, the Memorial Cup has been won by each league:

  • Western Hockey League (WHL): 16 times
  • Ontario Hockey League (OHL): 11 times
  • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL): 7 times
The host team for each tournament is listed in bold.
If a team qualified for the tournament as the runner-up of their league's championship series, it is listed in italics.
Cup Champion[3] Score[12] Runner-up[12] Additional participants[12]
1983 Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) 8–3 Oshawa Generals (OHL) Lethbridge Broncos (WHL), Verdun Juniors (QMJHL)
1984 Ottawa 67's (OHL) 7–2 Kitchener Rangers (OHL) Laval Voisins (QMJHL), Kamloops Jr. Oilers (WHL)
1985 Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) 6–1 Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL), Verdun Junior Canadiens (QMJHL)
1986 Guelph Platers (OHL) 6–2 Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) Kamloops Blazers (WHL), Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
1987 Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) 6–2 Oshawa Generals (OHL) Longueuil Chevaliers (QMJHL) [a]
1988 Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) 7–6 Windsor Spitfires (OHL) Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)[b]

, Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)

1989 Swift Current Broncos (WHL) 4–3 (OT) Saskatoon Blades (WHL) Laval Titan (QMJHL), Peterborough Petes (OHL)
1990 Oshawa Generals (OHL) 4–3 (OT) Kitchener Rangers (OHL)[c] Laval Titan (QMJHL), Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
1991 Spokane Chiefs (WHL) 5–1 Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)[d] Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
1992 Kamloops Blazers (WHL) 5–4 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL), Verdun Collège Français (QMJHL)
1993 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)[e] 4–2 Peterborough Petes (OHL) Laval Titan (QMJHL), Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
1994 Kamloops Blazers (WHL) 5–3 Laval Titan (QMJHL) Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), North Bay Centennials (OHL)
1995 Kamloops Blazers (WHL) 8–2 Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL) Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
1996 Granby Prédateurs (QMJHL) 4–0 Peterborough Petes (OHL) Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), Guelph Storm (OHL)
1997 Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) 5–1 Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL), Oshawa Generals (OHL)
1998 Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) 4–3 (OT) Guelph Storm (OHL) Spokane Chiefs (WHL), Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
1999 Ottawa 67's (OHL) 7–6 (OT) Calgary Hitmen (WHL) Acadie–Bathurst Titan (QMJHL), Belleville Bulls (OHL)
2000 Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) 6–2 Barrie Colts (OHL) Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), Kootenay Ice (WHL)
2001 Red Deer Rebels (WHL) 6–5 (OT) Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) Ottawa 67's (OHL), Regina Pats (WHL)
2002 Kootenay Ice (WHL) 6–3 Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) Erie Otters (OHL), Guelph Storm (OHL)
2003 Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 6–3 Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) Kelowna Rockets (WHL), Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
2004 Kelowna Rockets (WHL) 2–1 Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) Guelph Storm (OHL), Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
2005 London Knights (OHL) 4–0 Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) Kelowna Rockets (WHL), Ottawa 67's (OHL)
2006 Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) 6–2 Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) Peterborough Petes (OHL), Vancouver Giants (WHL)
2007 Vancouver Giants (WHL) 3–1 Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL), Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
2008 Spokane Chiefs (WHL) 4–1 Kitchener Rangers (OHL) Belleville Bulls (OHL), Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
2009 Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 4–1 Kelowna Rockets (WHL) Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL), Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
2010 Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 9–1 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL), Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
2011 Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) 3–1 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL) Owen Sound Attack (OHL), Kootenay Ice (WHL)
2012 Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) 2–1 (OT) London Knights (OHL) Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
2013 Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) 6–4 Portland Winterhawks (WHL) London Knights (OHL), Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
2014 Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 6–3 Guelph Storm (OHL) Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL), London Knights (OHL)
2015 Oshawa Generals (OHL) 2–1 (OT) Kelowna Rockets (WHL) Quebec Remparts (QMJHL), Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
2016 London Knights 3-2 (OT) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Red Deer Rebels (WHL), Brandon Wheat Kings
2017 TBD TBD Windsor Spitfires 

(OHL)

Notes

a  In 1987, the OHL organized a Super Series for the right to host the Memorial Cup tournament between the Leyden Division champions Oshawa Generals, and the Emms Division champions North Bay Centennials. The super series was played before the OHL playoffs commenced. Oshawa defeated North Bay 4 games to 3 for the right to host the Memorial Cup. Oshawa also won the OHL championship series defeating North Bay 4 games to 3. Since Oshawa won both the Super Series and the OHL Championship, only three teams participated in the Memorial Cup.[15]

b  The Chicoutimi Saguenéens hosted the 1988 tournament at the Centre Georges-Vézina of Chicoutimi, but were not guaranteed a berth. They were eliminated in the playoffs so the QMJHL sent the Drummondville Voltigeurs, who finished as the championship runners-up, in their place.[16]

c  The Hamilton Dukes hosted the 1990 tournament at Copps Coliseum. However, because of the team's poor standing in the 1989–90 season, the team stepped aside for the OHL championship runners-up, the Kitchener Rangers.[17]

d  The Beauport Harfangs hosted the 1991 tournament, however were not guaranteed a berth. The Harfangs were eliminated in the playoffs. The QMJHL championship runners-up Drummondville Voltigeurs were awarded this berth. The Harfangs were based in Beauport, Quebec, a suburb of Quebec City; however, the tournament was played in the Colisée de Québec.[18]

e  The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won the right to host the 1993 Memorial Cup by defeating the Peterborough Petes 4 games to 0 in a Super Series, much like how Oshawa hosted in 1987. However, the Petes won the OHL championship, thus granting them a spot in the tournament.[19]

References

General


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of Memorial Cup champions. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


  1. in Flett, Cory and Watts, Jessie: 2008–09 WHL Guide. Western Hockey League, 206. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Memorial Cup—Canada’s Junior Trophy. Edmonton Oilers Heritage Foundation. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Memorial Cup History. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
  4. The Memorial Cup, p. 13
  5. The Memorial Cup, p. 26
  6. The Memorial Cup, p. 57
  7. The Memorial Cup, p. 70
  8. The Memorial Cup, p. 84
  9. The Memorial Cup, p. 158
  10. The Memorial Cup, p. 16
  11. The Memorial Cup, pp. 154–155
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9 (1997) The Memorial Cup. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 1-55017-170-4. 
  13. The Memorial Cup, p. 160
  14. The Memorial Cup, p. 204
  15. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MC227
  16. The Memorial Cup, p. 232
  17. The Memorial Cup, p. 242
  18. The Memorial Cup, p. 247
  19. The Memorial Cup, p. 255
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