2013 Memorial Cup Memories
As part of the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup Memories series between May 25 and June 21, CHL on Sportsnet talent including RJ Broadhead, Sam Cosentino, and Rob Faulds will recall some of their most memorable moments from tournaments over the last decade, and we’ll recap the highlights to help set the stage for 10 championship game rebroadcasts on CHL.ca.
The 2013 Memorial Cup saw a dynamic duo lead the Halifax Mooseheads to a franchise-first championship and marked the third consecutive year in which a QMJHL club claimed CHL supremacy.
Led by 2013 NHL Draft eligibles Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, the Mooseheads were a dominant force throughout the 2012-13 campaign, finishing atop the QMJHL with an astounding 120 points, which ranks second all-time, surrendering just six regulation losses while amassing nearly 30 more points than the next highest ranked team.
That domination continued into the postseason as Halifax swept through the opening three rounds before ousting the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in a five-game set to capture the franchise’s first President’s Cup championship. With their sights set on adding more accolades to their trophy case, the Mooseheads then rolled through round-robin action at the 2013 Memorial Cup, winning twice while tallying an incredible 18 goals through the three-contest opener led by MacKinnon’s eight-point performance that counted a hat-trick in the team’s first game against the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
Deciding the Mooseheads’ opponent for the championship final, the OHL champion London Knights earned their spot to the semi-final after eliminating the host Saskatoon Blades in a tie-breaker but then couldn’t keep up their winning ways as the club ultimately fell in a tight-knit 2-1 final versus the Winterhawks the following night.
Reconnecting with Portland in the championship final, Halifax’s young guns went to work combining for 10 points, with MacKinnon recording his second hat-trick of the tournament plus two assists while Drouin dazzled with a five-assist outing en route to a 6-4 final that saw the pair earn first and second star honours, respectively. The recognition then continued for MacKinnon who was one of four Mooseheads named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team thanks to a tournament-leading 13-point performance that also helped him pick up the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player.
Undoubtedly, such an ability to dominant on the big stage sealed MacKinnon’s spot only weeks later when he heard his name called first overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Draft, while it also wasn’t a long wait for Drouin who went two picks later to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 2013 event will forever be remembered for having a loaded group of top draft eligible talent that also included the likes of first round picks Seth Jones, Bo Horvat, Max Domi, Nikita Zadorov, and second rounders Zach Fucale, Remi Elie, and Nic Petan.
Quick Hits
Tournament Scores:
May 17 – London 3 vs. Saskatoon 2
May 18 – Portland 4 vs. Halifax 7
May 19 – Saskatoon 5 vs. Halifax 2
May 20 – Portland 6 vs. London 3
May 21 – Halifax 9 vs. London 2
May 22 – Saskatoon 2 vs. Portland 4
May 23 (Tie-Breaker) – Saskatoon 1 vs. London 6
May 24 (Semi-Final) – London 1 vs. Portland 2
May 26 (Final) – Portland 4 vs. Halifax 6
Awards:
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (MVP) – Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer) – Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike) – Bo Horvat, London
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Top Goaltender) – Andrey Makarov, Saskatoon
All-Stars:
Forwards: Martin Frk (Halifax), Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax), Ty Rattie (Portland)
Defence: Konrad Abeltshauser (Halifax), Derrick Pouliot (Portland)
Goaltender: Zach Fucale (Halifax)
NHL Alumni:
Halifax Mooseheads
D – MacKenzie Weegar
F – Jonathan Drouin
F – Martin Frk
F – Nathan MacKinnon
London Knights
G – Anthony Stolarz
D – Scott Harrington
D – Olli Maatta
D – Dakota Mermis
D – Nikita Zadorov
F – Josh Anderson
F – Alex Broadhurst
F – Max Domi
F – Remi Elie
F – Seth Griffith
F – Bo Horvat
F – Chris Tierney
Portland Winterhawks
D – Seth Jones
D – Derrick Pouliot
D – Tyler Wotherspoon
F – Oliver Bjorkstrand
F – Chase De Leo
F – Taylor Leier
F – Brendan Leipsic
F – Nic Petan
F – Ty Rattie
F – Dominic Turgeon
Saskatoon Blades
G – Andrey Makarov
D – Darren Dietz
D – Nelson Nogier
D – Duncan Siemens
F – Micheal Ferland
Relive the action between the Mooseheads and Winterhawks on Wednesday’s rebroadcast streaming live at 7 p.m. ET on CHL.ca.