For the first time in 26 years, the Memorial Cup tournament will be played in our neighbors to the south, in the United States.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced that the Spirit organization of Saginaw, a town in Michigan, will host the prestigious competition in 2024.
This will be the first time this team has hosted the event and the fifth time the Memorial Cup has been on the line in the United States. The Spokane Chiefs (1998), Seattle Thunderbirds (1992) and Portland Winterhawks (1986 and 1983) were the other clubs to host the tournament.
The Spirit was preferred to the Niagara IceDogs, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Kingston Frontenacs.
This is the first time since 2017 that an Ontario Junior Hockey League (OHL) team has hosted the Memorial Cup. The Ontario circuit was to host it in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of this edition.
This year, the Kamloops Blazers, a team of the Western Junior Hockey League, will host the three other teams that have qualified for the competition that crowns the CHL champion.
