The history of the Memorial Cup by the CHL
The 2025-26 season will see the Memorial Cup presented for the 106th time, with the 2026 tournament being hosted by the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL next year.
The Memorial Cup, one of the most prestigious and coveted trophies in North American sport, has a rich tradition that has shaped the way junior hockey is played in North America. The trophy was originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in March 1919 in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First World War. In 2010, the Memorial Cup was rededicated to the memory of all fallen Canadian Military Personnel.
Initially, the Cup was awarded to the national junior hockey champions of Canada. Later on, it came to signify junior “A” hockey supremacy when, in 1934, junior hockey in Canada was divided into “A” and “B” classes. In 1971, when junior “A” hockey was divided into major junior and Tier 11 junior A, the Memorial Cup was awarded to the higher category and was given to the major junior hockey champions of Canada. In 1972, a round-robin tournament format replaced the old play-down system to determine the champions. Since then, the champions of the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) have met each spring in a round-robin series with the two top teams playing off in a sudden-death game to determine the Cup champions.
The Memorial Cup became an international trophy in 1983 as the tournament was held outside Canada for the first time, when the Portland Memorial Coliseum was the host arena. The hometown Winterhawks took home the title that year to become the first non-Canadian-based team to win the Memorial Cup. Portland hosted the tournament again in 1986, and Seattle played host in 1992. In 1991, the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL became the second U.S.-based team to claim the title. The Chiefs won the title again in 2008 in Kitchener, ON. In 2024, Saginaw became the first American OHL city to ever host the Memorial Cup, while also marking the first occasion that the tournament has ever been held in the State of Michigan.
Since the tournament adopted its current round-robin format in 1972, OHL and WHL clubs have each lifted the trophy on 19 occasions while QMJHL clubs have raised the Cup 14 times.
The OHL has claimed back-to-back titles after London (2025) and Saginaw (2024) were crowned champions while before that, QMJHL clubs won four straight championships after Quebec (2023), Saint John (2022), Rouyn-Noranda (2019) and Acadie-Bathurst (2018) hoisted the Memorial Cup. Edmonton (2014) was the most recent WHL winner.
In all four teams have hoisted the Memorial Cup on a three occasions: the Cornwall Royals (1972/80/81), Kamloops Blazers (1992/94/95), Windsor Spitfires (2009/10/17) and London Knights (2005/16/25). No team has made more Memorial Cup appearances than the Peterborough Petes who have played in the tournament nine times (1972/78/79/80/89/93/96/2006/23) and have played for the trophy on six occasions (1972/78/79/80/93/96). The Petes’ 22 tournament wins are also the most ever.
For a full list of Memorial Cup stats and records, click here.
The 2026 event will take place at Prospera Place, home of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets last hosted the tournament in 2004 where they also claimed their sole Memorial Cup championship.
