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Your guide to Memorial Cup

Sidney Crosby (87) led his Rimouski Oceanic to a second-place finish in 2005.Associated Press (File Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
By Jess Brown
Sidney Crosby (87) led his Rimouski Oceanic to a second-place finish in 2005.Associated Press (File Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

With the mere mention of the Memorial Cup a young hockey player’s eyes light up. The right to compete for junior hockey’s most coveted prize is not only elusive, it’s a dream come true.

“It’s definitely something you dream of your whole career,” said Chiefs captain Chris Bruton after Spokane swept the Lethbridge Hurricanes to capture the Western Hockey League title and the league’s berth to the Memorial Cup tournament.

“It’s everything. Something you always hope for but you don’t know if the opportunity will ever come, and it’s definitely something that every single player on this team will remember forever.”

The Canadian Hockey League – an umbrella group representing the 60 teams that make up the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – will hand out its 90th Memorial Cup on May 25th in Kitchener, Ontario. The four teams vying for the Cup are the tournament host Kitchener Rangers (OHL, host team), Belleville Bulls (OHL finalists), Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL champions) and the WHL champion Chiefs.

“It’s as prestigious as an event can be,” said Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz. “The players have seen it all of their lives growing up and they understand the magnitude of it.”

How these teams got to this point is far from easy.

Think college basketball’s NCAA tournament with a field of 65 teams is difficult? When it comes to competing for Major Junior hockey’s top trophy, a field of 60 teams begins contending from the end of August to early May for the right to even compete for the Cup.

“You think in terms of watching the NHL playoffs right now – they win 16 playoff games and they’ve won (the Stanley Cup),” said Speltz. “When we win 16, we have the right to play for the Memorial Cup. You’ve got 60 teams (in the CHL) vying for the same trophy and junior hockey supremacy.”

Prior to 1983 a three-team field competed for the Memorial Cup. A fourth team – the team hosting the event – was added to boost attendance in 1983 when the Portland Winter Hawks became the first American franchise to host the tournament. The site of the tournament is rotated between the three leagues.

“The history of the Cup is so rich and so deep,” said Speltz. “There are some players that had fantastic junior careers and never had a chance to compete for the Cup. It’s a whole different playoff format, now it’s more like a Final Four format. It’s not a series, so there is no chance to wear guys down. Right away, you are on a one-game basis (in round robin) and you basically play three game 7’s when you get there.”

The Spokane Chiefs, led by first-round NHL draft pick Pat Falloon and second-round pick Ray Whitney, won the Memorial Cup in 1991. Spokane was the host in 1998 when the Portland Winter Hawks, led by Marian Hossa and Brenden Morrow, were victorious. NHL star Sydney Crosby played for the runnerup Rimouski Oceanic in 2005.

“There are people that will go to the Memorial Cup every year, wherever it is, because they know it’s nine days of some of the best hockey they’ll ever see.”

The format is simple.

The four teams play each other in a round-robin format, and the top team automatically earns a spot in the championship game. The second and third teams out of round robin – after a tiebreaker is played if necessary – compete in a semifinal for the right to play the top-seeded team for the Cup.