The 100th Memorial Cup awaits in Regina
Now that the Hamilton Bulldogs are in the Memorial Cup, here’s what you need to know.
Well, let’s start with the dates. Hamilton plays the host Regina Pats on Friday, May 18 at 10 p.m. ET. On Monday, May 21, the Bulldogs face the Western Hockey League champions, who have not yet been crowned. The Swift Current Broncos were leading the Everett Silvertips 3-2 heading into Sunday night’s action. That game will begin at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs’ third game will go Tuesday, May 22, against the Quebec champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Faceoff is at 10 p.m.
Following the round robin, the second- and thirdplace teams face off in the semifinal on Friday, May 25, at 10 p.m. The championship will be played on Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m.
All games will be shown on Sportsnet.
In the final Canadian Hockey League rankings, all of the teams that are, or could be, in the tournament (except the host) were ranked higher than the Bulldogs. Hamilton was ranked eighth in the country, while Everett was seventh, Acadie-Bathurst was sixth and Swift Current was fourth. However, the Bulldogs just knocked off the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to earn their way in, and the Soo
was No. 1 for most of the season.
Regina was eliminated from their playoffs 42 days ago and have been idle from competition since.
This is the 100th Memorial Cup, which is the championship of Canadian junior hockey. Hamilton made a bid to host this event but lost out to Regina. Teams from this city have been in it twice — in 1962 with the Hamilton Red Wings, featuring future Summit Series hero Paul Henderson, and in 1976 with the Hamilton Fincups — winning both times.