The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion. Each year the champions from three CHL member leagues—the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), along with a host team—compete in the Memorial Cup tournament. Sixty-one teams across the CHL's three member leagues are eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup, representing all ten provinces in Canada and four American states. The OHL's Kitchener Rangers are the defending champions.

Known originally as the OHA Memorial Cup, it was donated in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association in honour of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I. In 2010, the trophy was rededicated to honour all soldiers who died for Canada in any conflict. From its donation in 1919 until 1971, the Memorial Cup was awarded via a series of playoffs to the junior hockey champion of Canada. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association moved to a three-team round-robin tournament format in 1972 when it divided Junior A hockey into two tiers, naming the Memorial Cup as the championship of the Major Junior rank. The tournament involved just the respective champions from the three CHL major junior leagues. The tournament expanded to the current four-team format including the host city in 1983.

The Western Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League have each won the title 19 times since the adoption of the three league tournament format in 1972, while the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League has won 14. Since the creation of the Memorial Cup, the Toronto Marlboros have won the most titles with seven.Podnieks, p. 26 Among currently active teams, the Oshawa Generals lead with five titles, the latest one in 2015.

Champions and challengers

1919 to 1971

The Memorial Cup was presented to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in remembrance of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I. It was to be awarded to the junior hockey champions of Canada in an east versus west format. Over its first 53 years of competition, the Eastern Canada champion, who from 1932 won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy, met the Western Canada champion, winners of the Abbott Cup.Lapp & Macauley, p. 13 The first championship featured the University of Toronto Schools against the Regina Patricia (now the Pats) in a two-game, total-goals series. The University of Toronto Schools won the title easily, defeating Regina by scores of 14–3 and 15–5 to win the series with a total score of 29–8. Through this initial 53 years, the eastern representative won 33 Memorial Cups, while the western representative won 20 Memorial Cups.

The host of the Memorial Cup predominately fell on Toronto, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba in earlier years, with additional sites in Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa, Ontario among them being used. Toronto was used due to the dominance of the teams in its vicinity, but Winnipeg had the only arena capable of creating artificial ice between Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia, and became the western site chosen by the CAHA to hold the tournament in its early years.Lapp & Macauley, pp. 15, 19. Beginning in the post-World War II era, cities and towns of the competing teams began hosting the Memorial Cup, such as Brandon and Flin Flon, Manitoba, Regina, Saskatchewan and Quebec City, Quebec.Lapp & Macauley, pp. 79, 84, 91, 107

The head-to-head competition for the Memorial Cup has changed formats several times. The CAHA moved to a best-of-three format in 1925 as the first team to win two games was declared the champion.Lapp & Macauley, p. 26 In 1938, the series was increased to best-of-five,Lapp & Macauley, p. 57 and to best-of-seven in 1943.Lapp & Macauley, p. 70 There were two exceptions to these formats. The 1949 final between the Montreal Royals and the Brandon Wheat Kings required an eighth game after the third game ended in a tie.Lapp & Macauley, p. 84

The 1971 final between the Quebec Remparts and the Edmonton Oil Kings was nearly canceled outright in the wake of controversy surrounding the inclusion of the previously outlawed Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) as the western league was allowed to use more over-age players and received a larger travel allowance from the CAHA. The differences were resolved, and an abbreviated best-of-three series was held in Quebec City.Lapp & Macauley, p. 158

While the Memorial Cup was not intended to be a challenge trophy, a team has twice challenged the defending champion for the cup. After the Toronto Canoe Club defeated the Selkirk Fishermen in 1920, they were met with a challenge by the Fort William Beavers for the trophy. Toronto agreed, and easily defeated Fort William 11–1 in a single game playoff.Lapp & Macauley, p. 16 The second challenge occurred a half-century later, in 1970. The WCHL's Flin Flon Bombers challenged the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Considered an outlaw league by the CAHA, WCHL teams were not permitted to participate in the Memorial Cup playoffs. The Junior Canadiens declined the challenge.Lapp & Macauley, pp. 154–155

TG = total goals, with the team scoring the most goals in two games winning the championship. From 1925 onward, the total represents the number of games won.

Cup Champion Result Runner-up Host location(s)1919University of Toronto Schools Regina Patricia Toronto1920Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers Selkirk Fishermen Toronto1921Winnipeg Junior Falcons Stratford Midgets Toronto1922Fort William Great War Vets Regina Patricia Winnipeg1923University of Manitoba Bisons Kitchener Colts Toronto1924Owen Sound Greys Calgary Canadians Winnipeg1925Regina Pats 2–0Toronto Aura Lee Toronto1926Calgary Canadians 2–1Queen's University Winnipeg1927Owen Sound Greys 2–0Port Arthur West End Jrs. Toronto1928Regina Monarchs 2–1Ottawa Gunners Toronto1929Toronto Marlboros 2–0Elmwood Millionaires Toronto1930Regina Pats 2–0West Toronto Nationals Winnipeg1931Elmwood Millionaires 2–1Ottawa Primroses Toronto and Ottawa1932Sudbury Cub Wolves 2–1Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg1933Newmarket Redmen 2–0Regina Pats Toronto1934Toronto St. Michael's Majors 2–0Edmonton A.C. Athletics Winnipeg1935Winnipeg Monarchs 2–1Sudbury Cub Wolves Winnipeg1936West Toronto Nationals 2–0Saskatoon Wesleys Toronto1937Winnipeg Monarchs 2–1Copper Cliff Redmen Toronto1938St. Boniface Seals 3–2Oshawa Generals Toronto1939Oshawa Generals 3–1Edmonton A.C. Roamers Toronto1940Oshawa Generals 3–1Kenora Thistles Winnipeg1941Winnipeg Rangers 3–2Montreal Royals Toronto and Montreal1942Portage la Prairie Terriers 3–1Oshawa Generals Winnipeg1943Winnipeg Rangers 4–2Oshawa Generals Toronto1944Oshawa Generals 4–0Trail Smoke Eaters Toronto1945Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–1Moose Jaw Canucks Toronto1946Winnipeg Monarchs 4–3Toronto St. Michael's Majors Toronto1947Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–0Moose Jaw Canucks Winnipeg, Moose Jaw and Regina1948Port Arthur West End Bruins 4–0Barrie Flyers Toronto1949Montreal Royals 4–3–1Brandon Wheat Kings Winnipeg and Brandon1950Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–1Regina Pats Montreal and Toronto1951Barrie Flyers 4–0Winnipeg Monarchs Toronto, Barrie and Quebec City1952Guelph Biltmores 4–0Regina Pats Toronto1953Barrie Flyers 4–1St. Boniface Canadiens Winnipeg and Brandon1954St. Catharines Teepees 4–0–1Edmonton Oil Kings Toronto1955Toronto Marlboros 4–1Regina Pats Regina1956Toronto Marlboros 4–0–1Regina Pats Toronto1957Flin Flon Bombers 4–3Ottawa-Hull Junior Canadiens Flin Flon and Regina1958Ottawa-Hull Junior Canadiens 4–2Regina Pats Ottawa and Hull1959Winnipeg Braves 4–1Peterborough TPT Petes Winnipeg and Brandon1960St. Catharines Teepees 4–2Edmonton Oil Kings St. Catharines and Toronto1961Toronto St. Michael's Majors 4–2Edmonton Oil Kings Edmonton1962Hamilton Red Wings 4–1Edmonton Oil Kings Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener1963Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2Niagara Falls Flyers Edmonton1964Toronto Marlboros 4–0Edmonton Oil Kings Toronto1965Niagara Falls Flyers 4–1Edmonton Oil Kings Edmonton1966Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2Oshawa Generals Toronto1967Toronto Marlboros 4–1Port Arthur Marrs Port Arthur1968Niagara Falls Flyers 4–1Estevan Bruins Niagara Falls and Montreal1969Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–0Regina Pats Montreal and Regina1970Montreal Junior Canadiens 4–0Weyburn Red Wings Montreal1971Quebec Remparts 2–0Edmonton Oil Kings Quebec City

1972 to 1982 In 1970, the CAHA divided the Junior A ranks into two levels, creating a Major–Junior tier that consisted of three leagues: the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA, now the OHL) and the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL, now WHL). It was decided that the Memorial Cup would be the championship trophy of the Major Junior leagues, while the Manitoba Centennial Trophy was created as the Junior A championship. The CAHA decided that beginning in 1972, the Memorial Cup would be determined via a double round-robin tournament (four games each) between the champions of the three leagues, featuring a single game championship involving the top two finishers in the tournament.Lapp & Macauley, p. 160 The creation of the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks in 1976 opened the competition up to non-Canadian teams for the first time, and in 1982, the Winter Hawks became the first American team in Memorial Cup history to compete for the trophy (and, in 1983, the first American Memorial Cup championsee next section).Lapp & Macauley, p. 204

Cup Champion Score Runner-up Additional participants Host location(s)1972Cornwall Royals 2–1Peterborough Petes Edmonton Oil Kings Ottawa1973Toronto Marlboros 9–1Quebec Remparts Medicine Hat Tigers Montreal1974Regina Pats 7–4Quebec Remparts St. Catharines Black Hawks Calgary1975Toronto Marlboros 7–3New Westminster Bruins Sherbrooke Castors Kitchener1976Hamilton Fincups 5–2New Westminster Bruins Quebec Remparts Montreal1977New Westminster Bruins 6–5Ottawa 67's Sherbrooke Castors Vancouver1978New Westminster Bruins 7–4Peterborough Petes Trois-Rivières Draveurs Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie1979Peterborough Petes 2–1 (OT)Brandon Wheat Kings Trois-Rivières Draveurs Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Verdun1980Cornwall Royals 3–2 (OT)Peterborough Petes Regina Pats Brandon and Regina1981Cornwall Royals 5–2Kitchener Rangers Victoria Cougars Windsor1982Kitchener Rangers 7–4Sherbrooke Castors Portland Winter Hawks Hull

1983 to present

The Memorial Cup tournament was expanded to four teams in 1983; a pre-determined host team was added in place of holding the tournament in a neutral host city. The first such host team was the Portland Winter Hawks, who set numerous firsts in the 1983 tournament. It represented the first time Memorial Cup games were held outside Canada, and by virtue of winning the tournament, the Winter Hawks became the first American team to win the Cup. The Winter Hawks also became the first team in Memorial Cup history to win the championship despite failing to win its own league title—they had been defeated by the Lethbridge Broncos in the WHL playoffs.Lapp & Macauley, p. 208