T-Birds Third Game at Memorial Cup Tuesday vs. Saint John Sea Dogs
All games broadcast on 1090 The Fan and NHL Network
KENT, May 23, 2017 — The Seattle Thunderbirds third game at the 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup is Tuesday at 4pm at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario against the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The T-Birds are 0-2 at the round-robin tournament and need a win against Saint John (0-2) to keep their Memorial Cup hopes alive. The winner of the T-Birds vs. Sea Dogs game will advance to the Memorial Cup Semifinal on Friday at 4pm. The loser is eliminated from the tournament.
Windsor (2-0) will play Erie (2-0) on Wednesday at 4pm. The winner of this game will advance to the Memorial Cup Championship final on Sunday at 4pm at WFCU. The loser will play in the Semifinal on Friday.
All T-Birds game at the Mastercard Memorial Cup can be heard on 1090 The Fan over the air and online. Thom Beuning will have the play-by-play call.
All games at the Mastercard Memorial Cup will be broadcast on the NHL Network on a live or tape delay basis. The NHL Network will utilize the Sportsnet broadcasts and will have RJ Broadhead on the play-by-play and Sam Cosentino with the color analysis.
Mastercard Memorial Cup games are also available through a pay-per-view webcast with Neulion, the Official Streaming Platform of the Canadian Hockey League. Individual games will cost $8 each in Canadian dollars. Fans can purchase all games at the tournament for $26 in Canadian dollars. Stream Mastercard Memorial Cup games
The full Mastercard Memorial Cup schedule is below. The first time listed is Pacific time zone start time. The time in parentheses is when the broadcast will start on the NHL Network. Fans should consult their local cable provider to determine which channel carries the NHL Network.
2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup Schedule
Friday, May 19
Saint John Sea Dogs 2 vs. Windsor Spitfires 3
Saturday, May 20
Erie Otters 4 vs. Seattle Thunderbirds 2
Sunday, May 21
Windsor Spitfires 7 vs. Seattle Thunderbirds 1
Monday, May 22
Erie Otters 12 vs. Saint John Sea Dogs 5
Tuesday, May 23
4pm – Seattle Thunderbirds vs. Saint John Sea Dogs (Tape delay – 5pm NHL Network)
Wednesday, May 24
4pm – Windsor Spitfires vs. Erie Otters (Tape delay – 6pm NHL Network)
Thursday, May 25
4pm – Tiebreaker Game/TBD if necessary (Tape delay – 5pm NHL Network)
Friday, May 26
4pm – 2017 Memorial Cup Semifinal (Tape delay – 5pm NHL Network)
Sunday, May 28
4pm – 2017 Memorial Cup Championship (Live – 4pm NHL Network)
The T-Birds defeated the Regina Pats in the WHL Championship 4-2 to advance to the Memorial Cup. The Erie Otters are the champions of the Ontario Hockey League. The Saint John Sea Dogs are the champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Windsor Spitfires are the host team and they play in the Ontario Hockey League.
About the Memorial Cup
The 2017 season marks the 99th anniversary of the Memorial Cup. 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 playdown system to determine the champions. Since then, the champions of the Western Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League, 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 again hosted the tournament in 1986 and Seattle played host in 1992. In 1991, the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League became the second U.S. based team to claim the title. The Chiefs won the title again in 2008 in Kitchener, ON.
In the last 45 tournaments since the round-robin format was established, Western Hockey League teams have won the title 19 times, Ontario Hockey League teams have claimed 16 titles and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams have won the title 10 times.
