Shut out by COVID — again
Canadian Hockey League cancels Memorial Cup for second straight year
SYDNEY — For the second straight year, the Canadian Hockey League's prestigious championship trophy will not be awarded.
The CHL, in association with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, announced the cancellation of the 2021 Memorial Cup tournament as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families, billets, our teams, staff and officials, and the communities in which we play. That has driven all of our difficult decisions for the last year as we have dealt with this global pandemic,” said Dan MacKenzie, president of the Canadian Hockey League, in a news release.
“The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.”
The 2020 tournament was scheduled to be hosted by the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. The OHL's Oshawa Generals and Soo Greyhounds had originally bid to host this year's tournament, prior to the pandemic.
Cape Breton Eagles forward Émile Hegarty-Aubin was disappointed to hear the news of the tournament cancellation but understands the decision.
“It's really bad to hear for teams in the QMJHL — the majority of those clubs were Quebec-based. Schedule changes and postponements have also happened in all four provinces.
Meanwhile, the WHL recently kicked off its 2020-21 season after delaying its start. Like the QMJHL, the league is also facing COVID-19 cases and games have been postponed.
As for the OHL, the league has yet to play a game, however, the 2020-21 season has not been officially cancelled. With rising COVID-19 cases in the province, no timeline has been given for when an announcement on the season's future.
The Eagles are familiar with how difficult cancelling the Memorial Cup can be. The club was considered a contender for the QMJHL's President Cup last season when the league shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Cape Breton, which had an older roster last season, is currently in the middle of a rebuild.
The last team to hoist the Memorial Cup was the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who defeated the Halifax Mooseheads in the championship game at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax in May 2019.
The CHL says it looks forward to presenting the Memorial Cup next season to the club which earns the right to hoist it.
Further decisions regarding the timing and location of the 2022 Memorial Cup will be announced at a later date.