Life in the League
League Playoffs: J. Ross Robertson, Ed Chynoweth, and Gilles-Courteau
Before the Memorial Cup come the league playoff brackets. Three trophies, three slightly different paths, all decided in best-of-seven series.
Each CHL league runs its own playoff bracket to crown a league champion. The format is broadly the same in all three (best-of-seven series), but the brackets, conference structure, and tiebreakers vary.
OHL: J. Ross Robertson Cup
Sixteen teams qualify (eight per conference). Four rounds, each best-of-seven, leading to an Eastern Conference final and a Western Conference final. The two conference champions meet for the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
WHL: Ed Chynoweth Cup
Sixteen teams qualify across the Eastern and Western Conferences. Four rounds of best-of-seven series produce an Eastern champion and a Western champion. The two meet for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, named in 2007 after the longtime WHL president.
QMJHL / LHJMQ: Gilles-Courteau Trophy
Sixteen teams qualify and play four rounds of best-of-seven series, with a Western and Eastern bracket merging into a final for the Gilles-Courteau Trophy. The trophy honours the longtime QMJHL president, and was renamed from the President's Cup in 2023 on his retirement.
Overtime in the playoffs
Playoff overtime in every CHL league is 20-minute sudden-death periods at 5-on-5, with full ice resurfacing between periods. There is no shootout in the playoffs. A few games every season run two or three overtime periods.