How is The Memorial Cup Host Determined?

The Memorial Cup is the national championship of the CHL, a chamber of 3 major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and the US.

Captain James T. Sutherland established the Memorial Cup trophy in remembrance of the soldiers who lost their life in service during the First World War. The Ontario Hockey Association presented the trophy to the CHL in March 1919.

It is one of the most prestigious trophies in North American sports. The Memorial Cup was previously known as the OHA Memorial Cup.

The champions of the three CHL leagues, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Western Hockey League (WHL), along with the host team compete for the coveted title.

The tournament is played in a round-robin format so that every team involved in the tournament will get to compete against each other.

Every win is worth two points and a loss counts zero. When every team plays their three games, the top three teams will be placed for further games and the lastly placed team will be eliminated from the tournament.

The team standing at the top will get a bye automatically to the championship playoff. The semifinal is played between the teams standing in the second and third positions.

The winning team of the semifinal will compete for the title against the first-placed team. It is usually scheduled in May or June every year.

Kamloops, British Columbia hosted the 2022 and 2023 Memorial Cup. The contest was halted in 2021 and 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Halifax, Nova Scotia was the host of the 2019 Memorial Cup. Likewise, the 2018 tournament was hosted by Regina, Saskatchewan after Regina Pats of the WHL won the hosting right.

In 2017, Windsor, Ontario was the host of the esteemed tournament after the team Windsor Spitfires had the hosting right. 

The 98th edition of the Memorial Cup was hosted by Red Deer, Alberta in 2016. Red Deer Rebels took the hosting right to their home that year.

The 2015 Mastercard Memorial Cup took place in Quebec. The Quebec Remparts were the host for the year.

Portland became the first international city to host the Memorial Cup tournament in 1983. The title was won by the Winter Hawks to become the first non-Canadian team to win the Memorial Cup in the same year.

Portland also hosted the 1986 tournament. Seattle was the host city of the Memorial Cup 1992.

2024 Memorial Cup Host

The 2024 Memorial Cup host is Saginaw Spirit. Michigan is going to host the Memorial Cup for the first time in history.

It will be the first time in the United States after 1998. Spokane, Washington was the last American city to host the Memorial Cup tournament.

Portland Winterhawks was the host team, as well as the winner of the Canadian Hockey League's Memorial Cup. The CHL game is going to take place in the USA after 26 years.

It is branded as the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Kia. The winning team will be awarded the 104th Memorial Cup. The tournament will start on May 22, 2024. The final match will be played on June 3rd, 2024.

The Spirit is going to debut in the Memorial Cup in the 2024 season. They arrived in Saginaw, Michigan back in 2002. The team has won three OHL West Division titles in its history.

The agenda from the Saginaw County Board of Commissioners meeting on January 17 has estimated economic impact from the Memorial Cup tournament will be $24 million at least.

The tournament will be taking place from May 22 to June 3, 2024, for a total of 13 days. Estimation says that more than 4,500 overnight stays will take place in the hotel rooms because of the tournament. The people will have additional expenses, too.

NHL Network will broadcast the matches live in the United States. TSN and RDS will be airing the actions live for the fans in Canada.

Memorial Cup past hosts are Kamloops, British Columbia; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Regina, Saskatchewan; Windsor, Ontario, and many more cities.

Toronto hosted the first-ever Memorial Cup, which was held in 1919. It also hosted the following two seasons until Winnipeg hosted the tournament in 1922. Most of the initial tournaments were hosted by Toronto and Winnipeg.

Kamloops, British Columbia was the host of the 2023 Memorial Cup. The Kamloops Blazers won the right of hosting the tournament over the Kelowna Rockets.

The 2022 Memorial Cup presented by Kia was hosted by Saint John, New Brunswick. Saint John Sea Dogs won the hosting rights as well as the title in 2022.

The 2021 and 2020 tournaments were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Halifax, Nova Scotia was the host city of the Memorial Cup 2019 tournament.

Similarly, the 2018 Mastercard Memorial Cup was the 100th Memorial Cup championship. The usual hosting pattern was altered and CHL allowed all three of its constituent leagues to bid for hosting the 100th Memorial Cup.

The Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League based in Regina, Saskatchewan won the right to host the 100th Memorial Cup tournament.

Windsor Spitfires hosted the 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup. The OHL team is based in Windsor, Ontario. The host team also won the championship back in 2017.

Likewise, The 2016 Memorial Cup, branded as Mastercard Memorial Cup was hosted by Red Deer, Alberta. The team of the city Red Deer Rebels won the right to host the tournament.

The 97th Memorial Cup was played in 2015. Quebec was the lucky city getting to host the 2015 Mastercard Memorial Cup. The Quebec Remparts won the hosting right with their bid.

The Memorial Cup host cities of past years are summarised here:

• 2023: Kamloops, British Columbia
• 2022: Saint John, New Brunswick
• 2019: Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 2018: Bathurst, New Brunswick
• 2017: Windsor, Ontario
• 2016: Red Deer, Alberta
• 2015: Quebec City, Quebec
• 2014: London, Ontario
• 2013: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 2012: Shawinigan, Quebec

The Quebec Remparts joined the Memorial Cup winners list in 2023. The Remparts defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds to take the title home.

The previous year's Memorial Cup champions were the Saint John Sea Dogs. The Dogs won over the Hamilton Bulldogs in the final to receive the Cup in 2022. The matches were taking place at the Dogs' home.

2021 and 2020 were not-so-good years in hockey history. The tournaments were canceled as the Coronavirus was attacking the whole world.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies took the cup home for the first time in 2019. They beat Halifax Mooseheads in their hometown en route to success.

The Acadie–Bathurst Titan won their first Memorial Cup in 2018 and became champion of the Canadian Hockey League. The Mastercard Memorial Cup was hosted by the Regina Pats, who were defeated in the final by the Titans.

The 99th edition of the Memorial Cup was taken by the Windsor Spitfires after the victory against the Erie Otters 4–3 in the final. The 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup was hosted by the champion team itself.

London Knights became the CHL champion defeating the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 3–2 in overtime. It was the second triumph for the team.

The 2015 Mastercard Memorial Cup champions were the Oshawa Generals. It was their fifth Memorial Cup. The Generals had an overtime 2-1 win against the Kelowna Rockets.

The Edmonton Oil Kings became the champions of the 2014 Memorial Cup. They defeated the Guelph Storm to become the CHL champions for the first time. The tournament was hosted by The London Knights.

The Halifax Mooseheads were the 2013 Memorial Cup Champions. They collected their first cup after beating the Portland Winterhawks 6–4 in the final.

The list of Memorial Cup winners in the last decade includes: