2015 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 2015 Memorial Cup culminated with one of the Canadian Hockey League’s most historic franchises in the Oshawa Generals winning a league-leading fifth championship and first in 25 years.
A force throughout the 2014-15 campaign, Oshawa led the OHL’s Eastern Conference with a 51-11-2-4 showing and 108 points to pick up their second consecutive division title while also topping the 100-point plateau for the first time since 1990-91. That success then continued into the postseason as the Generals surrendered just five losses en route to their 13th J. Ross Robertson Cup victory capped by a five-game defeat of Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters in the final round.
Tough competition followed at the Memorial Cup where the Generals came away with three one-goal victories through round-robin action to punch their ticket to the final. Determining their opponent, a tiebreaker was necessary where the host Quebec Remparts exacted some revenge against the Rimouski Oceanic who had defeated them on home ice in Game 7 of the QMJHL final. The hosts would then fall to the WHL champion Kelowna Rockets the following night in semi-final competition.
Led by key talents including Leon Draisaitl, a third-overall selection by the Edmonton Oilers the previous spring, the Rockets were a formidable final opponent to Oshawa, playing to a 1-1 score in regulation. A hero would be born in the form of Anthony Cirelli, a 17-year-old forward undrafted by the Generals, who scored his second of the game less than two minutes into the final frame. A month later he would be selected in the third round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Despite the loss, Draisaitl’s impressive performance as the tournament’s top scorer with seven points across five games also helped him earn the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup’s most valuable player. Other accolades went to Generals netminder Ken Appleby who was recognized as the top goaltender after winning all four of his appearances and limiting the opposition to a total of nine goals. Alongside teammates Michael Dal Colle and Michael McCarron, Appleby was also one of three Generals named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.
Quick Hits
Tournament Scores:
May 22 – Kelowna 3 vs. Quebec 4
May 23 – Rimouski 3 vs. Oshawa 4
May 24 – Quebec 4 vs. Oshawa 5 (OT)
May 25 – Rimouski 3 vs. Kelowna 7
May 26 – Oshawa 2 vs. Kelowna 1
May 27 – Quebec 0 vs. Rimouski 4
May 28 (Tie-Breaker) – Quebec 5 vs. Rimouski 2
May 29 (Semi-Final) – Quebec 3 vs. Kelowna 9
May 31 (Final) – Kelowna 1 vs. Oshawa 2 (OT)
Awards:
Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (MVP) – Leon Draisaitl, Kelowna
Ed Chynoweth Trophy (Leading Scorer) – Leon Draisaitl, Kelowna
George Parsons Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike) – Alexis Loiseau, Rimouski
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Top Goaltender) – Ken Appleby, Oshawa
All-Stars:
Forwards: Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa), Michael McCarron (Oshawa), Nick Merkley (Kelowna)
Defence: Madison Bowey (Kelowna), Ryan Graves (Quebec)
Goaltender: Ken Appleby (Oshawa)
NHL Alumni:
Kelowna Rockets
D – Madison Bowey
D – Josh Morrissey
F – Rourke Chartier
F – Leon Draisaitl
F – Dillon Dube
F – Tyrell Goulbourne
F – Nick Merkley
F – Gage Quinney
Oshawa Generals
G – Ken Appleby
D – Josh Brown
D – Dakota Mermis
F – Anthony Cirelli
F – Michael Dal Colle
F – Tobias Lindberg
F – Michael McCarron
Quebec Remparts
D – Ryan Graves
F – Anthony Duclair
F – Adam Erne
F – Dmytro Timashov
Rimouski Oceanic
D – Samuel Morin
F – Frederik Gauthier
Relive the action between the Generals and Rockets on Tuesday’s rebroadcast streaming live at 7 p.m. ET on CHL.ca.