Memorial Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup at the 2015 tournament
Sport	Ice hockey
Given for	Canadian Hockey League champion
History
First award	1919
First winner	University of Toronto Schools
Most wins	Toronto Marlboros (7)
Most recent	Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

The Memorial Cup (also known as Coupe Memorial in French) is a very important ice hockey championship in Canada. It's like the national final for major junior hockey teams. This tournament brings together the top teams from three big Canadian hockey leagues. These leagues are the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Each year, the champions from these three leagues play in the Memorial Cup. A fourth team, called the host team, also joins the tournament. This host team changes each year among the three leagues. The Memorial Cup trophy was created in 1919 by Captain James T. Sutherland. He wanted to honor the soldiers who died fighting in World War I. Later, in 2010, the trophy was rededicated to remember all Canadian soldiers who have died in any war.

Many people say the Memorial Cup is one of the toughest championships to win in hockey. This is because many teams compete across Canada. Also, players can only play at the major junior level for a limited time.

History of the Memorial Cup

Captain Sutherland, who was serving overseas during World War I, had a special idea. He was the President of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). He wanted to create a trophy to honor young Canadian hockey players who died in battle. This trophy would be given to the best junior hockey team in Canada. The OHA agreed that a memorial was a great idea for their members who had fallen in the war.

The first Memorial Cup tournament in 1919 was an "East-versus-West" competition. The champions from Eastern Canada played against the champions from Western Canada. From 1919 to 1928, the final was decided by the total goals scored over two games. In 1929, it changed to a best-of-three series.

In 1934, junior hockey teams were split into Junior 'A' and Junior 'B'. The Memorial Cup became the championship for Junior 'A' teams. Later, in 1937, the final became a best-of-five series. By 1943, it was a best-of-seven series.

In the 1970–1971 season, Junior 'A' hockey was divided again. It became "Major Junior" and a second tier (now called Junior 'A'). The Memorial Cup then became the championship for the Major Junior teams.

Tournament Format Changes

In 1972, the Memorial Cup changed to a three-team tournament. It featured the champions from the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL. These three teams played a round-robin, where each team played the others once. The top two teams then played in a single final game. A semi-final game was added in 1974.

In 1977, the tournament expanded to a double round-robin. This meant each team played the others twice. The tournament was held in a different city each year, rotating among the three leagues.

The 1983 Memorial Cup tournament added a fourth team: the host team. This was done to make the tournament more exciting and bring in more fans. The first time this happened was in Portland, Oregon, which was also the first time an American city hosted the Cup. The host team, the Portland Winter Hawks, won the Cup that year. They were the first American team and the first host team to win it.

Today, the four teams play a single round-robin. If two teams are tied for third place, they play an extra game. Then, the second and third-place teams play in a semi-final. The winner of that game plays the first-place team in the final. This format is still used today.

Special Cases and Mishaps

Sometimes, the host team also wins its league championship. When this happens, the spot for the league champion goes to the runner-up team from that league. This happened in 2006 with the Quebec Remparts. They lost in their league finals, but since the host team (Moncton Wildcats) had won their league, Quebec got to play in the Memorial Cup. The Remparts then went on to win the Cup, becoming the first team to win without being a host or a league champion.

The Memorial Cup trophy has had a couple of accidents. At the 2008 tournament, a replica trophy broke when the winning captain tried to pass it to a teammate. In 2012, a player accidentally dropped the actual trophy, causing damage. The real Memorial Cup is usually kept safe at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournaments in 2020 and 2021 were canceled. The Memorial Cup tournament started again in 2022.

Champions

The Memorial Cup and the Red Tilson Trophy displayed for Remembrance Day in 2019.

Memorial Cup Awards

Since 1972, special awards have been given out at the Memorial Cup tournament. There are now five awards presented each year to outstanding players.