Life in the League
The Memorial Cup, Explained
The CHL's national championship. Four teams, a single host city, and the oldest trophy in junior hockey.
The Memorial Cup is the CHL's national championship and the oldest trophy in major junior hockey. It is held every year in a single host city over about ten days at the end of May.
How the tournament works
- Four teams: the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL champions, plus a host team chosen in advance.
- Round-robin format: each team plays the other three once.
- Top finisher in the round-robin advances directly to the final.
- Second and third place play a tiebreaker; the winner of the tiebreaker plays a semifinal against fourth.
- Winners of the semifinal meet the round-robin leader in a single championship game.
Why it is unusual
Most championships are decided by a best-of-seven series. The Memorial Cup is a short, intense tournament where one bad period can knock out a team that just won its league title in a seven-game grind. That format is part of what makes it special, and what makes the host team a real factor: hosts get nearly two months to rest while the league playoffs are still going.
Awards
The Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy goes to the tournament MVP. The Ed Chynoweth Trophy is awarded to the leading scorer. The Hap Emms Memorial Trophy honours the top goaltender. The George Parsons Trophy recognizes the most sportsmanlike player.