Hockey History

Future NHL star Eric Lindros is seen here hoisting the Memorial Cup after his Oshawa Generals won the series over the Kitchener Rangers in May of 1990 at Copps Coliseum. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator.

The Memorial Cup
Started in 1919, Hamilton teams have won this honor twice.

The Memorial Cup for Canada’s Junior club championship began in 1919 to honor the veterans of World War I.

The Cup was initially donated by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in an east-versus-west scenario. From 1919 until 1928 the title was determined through a two-game total goal effort, but in 1929 it became a best-of-three series.

Winning the 1919 contest was the University of Toronto Schools, and the following year the Toronto Canoe Club (!) took the Cup.

The format was changed in 1934 when Junior hockey in Canada was divided into two classifications, Junior “A” and Junior “B”, and the Memorial Cup was deemed the trophy for the top Junior “A” team. In 1937 the Cup was played in a best-of-five series, and then went to a best-of-seven series in 1943.

In 1972 the championship was contested between the best teams from the three leagues of the Canadian Hockey League, the President’s Cup Champs from the Western Hockey League (WHL), the J. Ross Robertson Cup Champs from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the President’s Cup Champs from Quebec (QMJHL).

These three teams played four games each in a double round robin format with the top two teams playing a one-game final.

Members of the Hamilton Red Wings drink their spoils from the Memorial Cup after their win over the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1962. The only other time a Hamilton team won the Cup was in 1976 when the Fincups beat New Westminster. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator.

This was changed in 1983 to include a fourth team, the team which would host the event. The format changed to a three-game round robin series, then a semi-final game between the second and third-place teams. The winner of this match-up would then face the first-place team.

Tournament awards in the Memorial Cup include the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy for the Most Valuable Player of the series, the George Parsons Trophy for sportsmanship, the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy for best goalie, and the Ed Chynoweth Trophy for leading scorer.

Since the inception of the Memorial Cup 90 years ago, a Hamilton team has been to the Memorial Cup finals twice, and has won both times. The Hamilton Red Wings defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings to win the 1962 Memorial Cup, and in 1976 the Hamilton Fincups defeated the New Westminster Bruins.

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