CHL raises over $180,000 for a number of worthy causes during 2023 Memorial Cup
Among the initiatives supported, the CHL and its partners raised funds for the CMHA’s Talk Today Program, KidSport Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Royal Canadian Dominion Command Poppy Trust Funds & the Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL), alongside the Kamloops Blazers and the 2023 Memorial Cup Host Organizing Committee, is proud to announce that over $180,000 was raised for a number of worthy causes during the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia in Kamloops, B.C, which took place from May 25 – June 4. Specifically, $133,390 was raised via the 2023 Memorial Cup’s in-arena 50/50 program – with $15,000 being allocated to KidSport Canada, $68,390 to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – BC Division, and $50,000 to the Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program.
Born out of the CHL’s commitment to academic excellence and its vision of creating a lasting legacy in communities that host the Memorial Cup, the Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program was established only a year ago in Saint John, N.B., to support students from Memorial Cup host communities in their pursuit of post-secondary education. Over the next five years, thanks to the $50,000 raised through the 2023 Memorial Cup 50/50 program, two deserving students from Kamloops will annually be selected to receive academic scholarships valued at up to $5,000.
Interested applicants from both Saint John and Kamloops who wish to apply for the next round of Memorial Cup scholarships can do so online when the application process begins this September.
“As we saw again in Kamloops, the Memorial Cup is truly a catalyst for positive change within a host community and serves as an important platform to support a number of worthy causes,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. “In addition to our continued efforts to aid Canadian veteran programs and promote positive mental health through the CMHA, the CHL is proud to be carrying on its Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program in Kamloops, which no doubt will be one of many legacies produced from the 2023 Memorial Cup.”
The other funds raised at the 2023 Memorial Cup came thanks to an event and a pair of jersey auctions that the CHL held during the tournament’s 11-day run. The first of these auctions were of game-worn jerseys from players who represented Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships (WJHC). In total, over $38,500 was raised through this auction to aid the work of the CMHA’s Talk Today program, with Regina Pats forward and top NHL prospect Connor Bedard’s jersey garnering a final bid of $18,446.
Between the auction of the WJHC jerseys and the Memorial Cup 50/50 program, over $106,000 raised during the 2023 Memorial Cup is being donated to the CMHA to promote positive mental health and support the work of its Talk Today program across Canada. Talk Today is one of the most comprehensive mental health programs for amateur sports in Canada, providing support to players and staff, and raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. Since its inception, 4,810 players, coaches, billet parents and staff have participated in Talk Today across the CHL.
“We’re grateful for the Canadian Hockey League’s generous donation and commitment to supporting mental health,” said Jonny Morris, CEO of the CMHA – BC Division. “Through our Talk Today partnership with the CHL and its member leagues, we’re working to end the stigma around mental health both on and off the ice across Canada.”
Lastly, between the auction of the game-worn commemorative jerseys that the Kamloops Blazers wore during the tournament’s opening night and the 2023 Memorial Cup Fan Breakfast, more than $11,000 was collectively raised for both the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52 and the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Poppy Trust Funds, the latter of which funds national veteran programs that support veterans and their families in need.
Originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and donated by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in March 1919, the Memorial Cup trophy was created in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First World War. The trophy was later rededicated in 2010 to the memory of all fallen Canadian Military Personnel, and the Memorial Cup tournament continues to this day to honour this meaningful connection that it has to the military.
(PHOTO CREDIT: CANDICE WARD/CHL)