Five teams bid for 2026 Memorial Cup

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This article was published 24/09/2024 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have been joined by four other Western Hockey League franchises in bidding for the 2026 Memorial Cup.

The Kelowna Rockets, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs are also in the running for the event, which means at least one club from each of the league’s four divisions was represented.

The Canadian Hockey League announced the final tally on Monday morning, after Friday’s official deadline to submit the documentation passed. The winning bid for the 106th edition of the event is expected to be announced in late December.

“We are excited to have received bids from five outstanding WHL franchises to host this event in 2026,” CHL president Dan MacKenzie said in a release. “Featuring the best junior hockey teams in the world, the Memorial Cup is a world-class event that provides a host city with a unique opportunity to both showcase its community and create an impactful legacy that can be felt for years after the event.

“With five bidding WHL cities, it is clear the interest is high in hosting this one-of-a-kind tournament and we can’t wait to identify which WHL team will have that privilege in 2026.”

It’s the most bid teams since six Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League franchises tried to host the 2009 event.

There had been speculation a couple other WHL franchises might put a bid in as well but those never materialized.

The submissions by the potential host committees are evaluated on business operations, local atmosphere and community engagement, event logistics and hockey operations. After the initial documents were submitted, the next steps are site visits and formal presentations of the bids to a selection committee. That will be done in the next few weeks.

Brandon served as host in 2010, and previously held some Memorial Cup games in partnership with a pair of main hosts, Regina in 1980 and Winnipeg in 1949, 1953 and 1959.

The Wheat Kings won the bid for the 2010 event over the Everett Silvertips and Kelowna on Oct. 15, 2008 under the old rules when each league determined its own host with a majority vote of its board of governors.

“I think it’s great,” Wheat Kings owner Jared Jacobson said during practice on Monday afternoon. “It was a lot of quiet, hard work this summer with our committee with Jason Roblin and myself and a couple of guys in Winnipeg and some other Brandonites who helped out. It’s nice it finally went in.

“It’s busy times during camp and right before the home opener to have that deadline but it’s all good in the end.”

Kelowna previously hosted in 2004, with the Rockets emerging victorious on the ice as well. They had the unfortunate timing of being awarded the 2020 event and building a team to compete in it, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“We are thrilled to have officially submitted our bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup,” Kelowna bid committee co-chair David Rush said in a release. “This is a momentous opportunity for our community, and we are excited to showcase Kelowna’s passion for hockey, our world-class facilities, and the incredible spirit of our city. We believe this event will not only celebrate the sport but also leave a lasting legacy.”

Lethbridge, which like Medicine Hat has never hosted before, may have dodged a bullet by not winning the 2020 event, and said it’s actually in a more advantageous position this time around.

“We felt like we were very close with our bid for the 2020 tournament, but moving forward we think we have a better opportunity this time,” Hurricanes general manager of business operations Terry Huisman said. “There are many things that we have to get through in the four-step process, but we really feel good about where we are at, and we are going to work hard and do our due diligence to make sure we have the best bid.”

In years past, American teams haven’t had much luck in the bid process — sources say holding the tournament outside Canada puts a significant dent in sponsorship proceeds — but the 2024 Memorial Cup was held in Saginaw, Mich.

It was the first tournament in the United States since Spokane hosted in 1998 and set attendance records.

“We believe the combination of our team, staff, facilities, and city of Spokane will provide for an unforgettable Memorial Cup,” Bobby Brett, Spokane owner and majority partner said in a release. “Fans from all over the region will get the chance to watch the four best teams in the CHL compete for the hardest trophy in all of hockey to win.”

The 2025 edition of the tournament is set for Rimouski, Que., which coincidentally hosted in 2009, a year before Brandon.

Back in 1919, the trophy was first presented to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association by the Ontario Hockey Association to remember Canada’s fallen soldiers in the First World War. That year, the University of Toronto Schools beat the Regina Patricia — later the Regina Pats — in Toronto.

The trophy was contested under a variety of formats over the years, including series of various lengths, between the champions from Eastern and Western Canada. It was first awarded to a major junior club in 1972.

In 2010, the Memorial Cup was rededicated to all fallen Canadian soldiers.

“It is an exciting time for the Medicine Hat Tigers organization and our fans to have the opportunity to bid on the Memorial Cup tournament,” Medicine Hat president Darrell Maser said. “We also recognize that all the teams bidding to host the tournament have excellent programs and facilities. Any of these organizations would be a deserving host for the Memorial Cup.”

ICINGS: Medicine Hat (1987,1988) and Spokane (1991, 2008) have both won the event twice. Kelowna’s sole title came in 2024, and Lethbridge and Brandon have yet to raise the trophy … The host Saginaw Spirit beat the London Knights 4-3 in last year’s final to become the third American team to win the event … The Wheat Kings have appeared in the event six times, in 1949, 1979, 1995, 1996, 2010 and 2016, but have yet to win the national title … A WHL club hasn’t been victorious since 2014, when it was accomplished by the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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