Celebrate the Memorial Cup
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Spring is always an intense time for hockey fans as the season wraps up and champions are crowned. The Stanley Cup playoffs grab most of the attention, and the Victoire took home the Walter Cup, but for fans of Canadian junior hockey the Memorial Cup takes centre ice. Currently underway in Kelowna, the champions of the CHL member leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) and the host city Kelowna are competing for the CHL’s highest honour.
First awarded in 1919, the Memorial cup was donated by the Ontario Hockey League in commemoration of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada Word War I and rededicated in 2010 for all soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Canada in any conflict.
The 106+ year legacy of the Memorial Cup is steeped in stories of great teams, legendary players and epic battles for Canadian junior hockey supremacy. In honour of the Memorial Cup being played for this week, we want to honour the tournament by looking back at three legendary champions from across Canada.
Winnipeg Monarchs 1946 – Record setting attendance
The 1946 Memorial Cup final brought together the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, Eastern Canadian champions out of the OHA, and the Winnipeg Monarchs, Abbott Cup champions from the MJHL, in a best-of-seven series held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Winnipeg won their third Memorial Cup title, defeating St. Michael's four games to three. George Robertson scored the winning goal in the decisive seventh game before a sellout crowd. The series drew 102,575 fans in total which was a record for a seven-game amateur series in Canada.
Montreal Royals 1949 - Quebec's first-ever Memorial Cup title
The 1949 Memorial Cup final was the 31st junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, pitting the QJHL's Montreal Royals against the Brandon Wheat Kings of the MJHL. The series turned into one of the great showdowns in junior hockey history, ultimately requiring eight games, with one contest ending in a tie. In the deciding game, Brandon held a 4–2 lead entering the third period but couldn't hold on, as Montreal stormed back for a 6–4 victory. It was Quebec's first-ever Memorial Cup title. A standout for the Royals was a young Dickie Moore, who would go on to win five Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and earn induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.
Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters 1952 – Future NHLers and Hall of Famers
Sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company and coached by Alf Pike, a former NHL player who had won the 1937 Memorial Cup with the Winnipeg Monarchs, the Biltmores were a dominate junior club boasting eight future NHL players. They faced the Regina Pats, Abbott Cup champions out of Western Canada, in a best-of-seven final. Guelph swept the series convincingly, outscoring Regina 30–8 across four games. Team captain Andy Bathgate and defenceman Harry Howell would both eventually reach the Hockey Hall of Fame, while Lou Fontinato, Dean Prentice, Ron Murphy, and Ron Stewart also went on to NHL careers.
The 2026 Memorial Cup will be awarded on May 31st and you can watch live on TSN, RDS and NHL Network.
You can own a piece of history with one of our Memorial Cup Champion shirts.