Memorial Cup Lookback: Memorial Cup lands on American soil for the first time in 26 years

Saginaw, Mich. – For the first time in 26 years, the Memorial Cup will be played on American soil.

Named the hosts for the 104th edition of the Memorial Cup, the Saginaw Spirit are set to welcome the WHL Champions Moose Jaw Warriors along with the OHL’s London Knights, and QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, for the CHL-wide tournament starting on Friday, May 24.

This is the fifth time in CHL history that the Memorial Cup will travel south of the border, with the four previous tournaments being hosted by WHL clubs located in the Pacific Northwest.

It was the U.S. Division Spokane Chiefs that last hosted the year-end tournament in 1998. The Chiefs were joined by the WHL Champions Portland Winter Hawks, the OHL Champions Guelph Storm, and the QMJHL Champions Val-d’Or Foreurs.

In what was a memorable tournament for the entire WHL, the entrances by the Chiefs and Winterhawks marked the first time two American clubs were featured in the same Memorial Cup.

Both Portland and Spokane entered the tournament following terrific results in both the regular season and WHL Playoffs. The Winter Hawks finished atop the League’s regular season rankings with a record of 53-12-2-0, while the Chiefs followed closely in tow as the second-best American club with a record of 45-23-0-0.

The two teams then clashed in the third round of the 1998 WHL Playoffs, where Portland narrowly escaped past the Chiefs with a 3-2 win in Game 7. The Winter Hawks went on to sweep the Brandon Wheat Kings, capturing their second of three WHL Championships.

At the 1998 Memorial Cup, the Chiefs and Winterhawks each started the tournament on a winning note. Spokane defeated Val-d’Or, 5-4, in their tournament opener, while, one day later, Portland handed Guelph a 6-2 loss.

Following their gruelling, seven-game grudge match only weeks before at the WHL Playoffs, the highly-anticipated rematch between the Chiefs and Winter Hawks once again went in favour of Portland. Vanquishing Spokane by a score of 4-2, Portland went undefeated during the round-robin stage and secured their spot in the tournament final. The hosts, on the other hand, concluded their time at the Memorial Cup in the semi-finals, losing to Guelph in overtime.

Looking to capture their second Memorial Cup in franchise history, the Winter Hawks faced off against the Guelph Storm in the Memorial Cup Final on May 17, 1998. Following 60 minutes of play, the two teams head to the overtime frame deadlocked at three goals a piece.

It was then where Surrey, B.C. product and Winter Hawks forward Bobby Russell potted the game-winning goal 6:21 into the extra period to secure the Memorial Cup for his club.

“By far this is the best day of my life,” Russell said following his tournament-winning goal.

“Someone had to score a goal and, if it wasn’t me, it would have been one of my 20 teammates.”

Of the 1998 Memorial Cup-winning Winter Hawks, a total of seven players – Andrew Ference, Marian Hossa, Jason LaBarbera, Brenden Morrow, Andrej Podkonicky, Joey Tetarenko, and Matt Walker – graduated from the WHL and went on to spend time in the NHL.

Puck drop on the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow is slated for Friday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m. MT when the Moose Jaw Warriors take on the Saginaw Spirit at the DOW Event Center.