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2011 Memorial Cup


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With Owen Sound downing the Windsor Spitfires last night, we're getting closer to the 2011 Memorial Cup!

So, Mississauga is in as host, and since they're also in the OHL finals, the other team gets a free pass into the Memorial Cup. So that means that Owen Sound is going to play for the Cup for the first time since 1986 when they were in Guelph. This will be the first time Owen Sound has been int he Cup tourney, much less played for the OHL title.

All that is left is for the WHL and QMJHL to finish up! Saint John has made the Q finals for the second year in a row and are waiting for the winner of Quebec and Gatineau,

In the WHL, Kootenay has swept Medicine Hat, so they're waiting on Spokane and Portland to wrap things up.

SO, the Memorial Cup starts in about 3 weeks, who's going to be heading to Mississauga? (and what are the Majors' Memorial Cup uniforms going to look like?)

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What a great story if Saint John makes it. Their goaltender, Jacob DeSerres, was in the Memorial Cup last year as a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings. Two years, two teams, two leagues, two trips to the Memorial Cup. Great for him if it happens and I hope it does.

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Winterhawks ousted the Chiefs in Game 6 tonight, next up is Kootenay in the WHL Finals. A lot of people are drawing comparisons to the 1998 Memorial Cup run, as Portland beat Spokane in the WC finals, en route to sweeping Brandon. My gut feeling is saying this is more like 2000/01 the post-season, where Portland made it all the way to the WHL Finals, and ran into a MONSTER Red Deer team. It didn't work out in Portland's favor...

Regardless, I sure hope this PDX - Kootenay series is an even battle, I'd hate to see an absolute blowout.

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Is there any continuity in major-junior? I thought the Mississauga Majors were a pretty low-rent operation that never amounted to much, and that it was all about London, Windsor, and Oshawa, at least as far as the O goes.

I always thought the automatic bid for the host team was one of the goofier things in sports. We think it dilutes the championship when a 7 seed goes on a hot goalie streak despite fielding an otherwise mediocre team; try watching a total non-contender fall ass-backwards into a championship because the city they play in has enough hospitality for a multi-day hockey event. Poor old Prince George Cougars are never gonna get to backdoor their way into a final.

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With Gatineau beating Quebec last night, the League finals are all set.

Saint John Seadogs vs. Gatineau Olympiques for the President's Cup

Kootenay Ice vs. Portland Winterhawks for the Ed Chenowith Cup

Mississauga St. Mike's Majors vs. Owen Sound Attack for the J. Ross Robertson Cup (Mississauga won game one last night.)

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Is there any continuity in major-junior? I thought the Mississauga Majors were a pretty low-rent operation that never amounted to much, and that it was all about London, Windsor, and Oshawa, at least as far as the O goes.

I always thought the automatic bid for the host team was one of the goofier things in sports. We think it dilutes the championship when a 7 seed goes on a hot goalie streak despite fielding an otherwise mediocre team; try watching a total non-contender fall ass-backwards into a championship because the city they play in has enough hospitality for a multi-day hockey event. Poor old Prince George Cougars are never gonna get to backdoor their way into a final.

The way I see most of the CHL working (at least this is how it works in the QMJHL is that the turnaround time from suck to success is shorter, but is rarely sustained for too long because a player can't play for more than 5 seasons. So every year there will be between 2 and 4 teams that will just runaway with the league, but within five years, those same teams will either be missing or just barely making the playoffs. A lot of teams will trade two or three years of "rebuilding" for two or three years of "elite status" and repeat. You can often guess which teams are going to be powerhouses a year or two beforehand.

As for who gets to host the Memorial Cup, it used to be something that was predetermined a few years ahead of time, but now it's only decided the year before. In the early 2000s, at least in the Q, the only teams who were allowed to bid on it were the four division leaders at the time of submission. Two factors that are usually considered now are 1) if the arena is in great shape and 2) will the host team be projected to be competitive enough to possibly win it (which is very likely the reason I think why Cape Breton lost their bid for next year).

There was a rule that was actually applied a few times where if the host team didn't make it to at least their league's semi-final, they still hosted the tournament, but forfeited their spot in the tournament to the league runner-up, but I don't think they use it anymore.

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Is there any continuity in major-junior? I thought the Mississauga Majors were a pretty low-rent operation that never amounted to much, and that it was all about London, Windsor, and Oshawa, at least as far as the O goes.

I always thought the automatic bid for the host team was one of the goofier things in sports. We think it dilutes the championship when a 7 seed goes on a hot goalie streak despite fielding an otherwise mediocre team; try watching a total non-contender fall ass-backwards into a championship because the city they play in has enough hospitality for a multi-day hockey event. Poor old Prince George Cougars are never gonna get to backdoor their way into a final.

The way I see most of the CHL working (at least this is how it works in the QMJHL is that the turnaround time from suck to success is shorter, but is rarely sustained for too long because a player can't play for more than 5 seasons. So every year there will be between 2 and 4 teams that will just runaway with the league, but within five years, those same teams will either be missing or just barely making the playoffs. A lot of teams will trade two or three years of "rebuilding" for two or three years of "elite status" and repeat. You can often guess which teams are going to be powerhouses a year or two beforehand.

As for who gets to host the Memorial Cup, it used to be something that was predetermined a few years ahead of time, but now it's only decided the year before. In the early 2000s, at least in the Q, the only teams who were allowed to bid on it were the four division leaders at the time of submission. Two factors that are usually considered now are 1) if the arena is in great shape and 2) will the host team be projected to be competitive enough to possibly win it (which is very likely the reason I think why Cape Breton lost their bid for next year).

There was a rule that was actually applied a few times where if the host team didn't make it to at least their league's semi-final, they still hosted the tournament, but forfeited their spot in the tournament to the league runner-up, but I don't think they use it anymore.

I'll never forget 1990, Hamilton hosted the Memorial Cup, but the Hamilton Dukes only won 11 games all season. They got the boot, and championship runner-ups Kitchener got to go instead.

The next year, Beauport was supposed to host, and due to their early playoff exit where replaced as well.

in 1987, Oshawa and North Bay held a 'super series' to determine the host, which Oshawa won, and when Oshawa beat North bay to win the OHL title, North Bay was automatically eliminated from the Memorial Cup as well, leaving it a 3 team race.

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Unless something else comes up I'll be volunteering at the event. Should be quite the experience (and I'm not just talking about commuting to that place from Downtown Toronto 8-10 times during the tournament. Ughhh.

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Go Leafs Go!

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Unless something else comes up I'll be volunteering at the event. Should be quite the experience (and I'm not just talking about commuting to that place from Downtown Toronto 8-10 times during the tournament. Ughhh.

Yeah, the location of the Hershey Centre isn't ideal for my taste. It's fine to get there on weekends, but during rush hour, it's horrible.

I saw, I came, I left.

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Unless something else comes up I'll be volunteering at the event. Should be quite the experience (and I'm not just talking about commuting to that place from Downtown Toronto 8-10 times during the tournament. Ughhh.

Yeah, the location of the Hershey Centre isn't ideal for my taste. It's fine to get there on weekends, but during rush hour, it's horrible.

I'm 5-10ish minutes north of the Gardiner, so as long as it isn't overloaded with suburbanites it should only take me 40 minutes at the most to get there. Good thing I told them I'm only available early afternoon when everyone will be stuck at work, muahaha!

neonmatrix_leafs2.gif

Because Korbyn Is Colour Blind, My Signature Is Now Idiot Proof - Thanks Again Braden!!

Go Leafs Go!

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I'll never forget 1990, Hamilton hosted the Memorial Cup, but the Hamilton Dukes only won 11 games all season. They got the boot, and championship runner-ups Kitchener got to go instead.

The weren't booted, they withdrew. Semantics, I know, but as hosts, the wanted a successful tournament, and the absolutely last thing they wanted was to seen being embarrassed by various league champions. Ended up being one of the more memorable tourneys...

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This more logo related, but the OHL finalists Owen Sound and Mississauga are wearing the Memorial Cup patch.

Finalists in all 3 league do that. That's why you see game worn jerseys of teams that didn't make the Memorial Cup with the patch on there.

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This more logo related, but the OHL finalists Owen Sound and Mississauga are wearing the Memorial Cup patch.

Finalists in all 3 league do that. That's why you see game worn jerseys of teams that didn't make the Memorial Cup with the patch on there.

I've seen a bunch of them lately while researching for the site; St. John, Shawinigan, it's kind of cool, but sucks if your team is only a finalist and doesn't make the actual tournament.

So, the league finals could be finished soon. Mississauga only needs one more win to beat Owen Sound, Saint John is finally on the cusp of winning. They lost last year in the finals, now they can bump Gatineau.

and Kootenay is ready to return to the Cup, they need one more to knock off Portland in the WHL.

So our 2011 Memorial Cup looks like it will be won by one of Mississauga, Owen Sound, Kootenay or Saint John. This could be only the second time in History a Quebec based team was not present in the Memorial Cup (The other being 2007 when Lewiston won the QMJHL title.)

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Isn't Kootenay one of the teams that might pack up and move to Chilliwack? Hm, just realized that the whole Western Canadian Sub-NHL Carousel just got messed up with the Moose no longer moving.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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