(Toronto) The city of Rimouski was preferred to that of Shawinigan for the presentation of the 105th Memorial Cup tournament in 2025, the Canadian Hockey League announced in a press release Monday morning.
“I would like to thank the Shawinigan Cataractes for presenting an exceptional application and making the committee’s decision extremely difficult. On behalf of the Canadian Hockey League, we look forward to working alongside the Océanic organization and the city of Rimouski to host a memorable event in 2025,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL.
The Océanic will present the Memorial Cup tournament for the second time in its history, after that of 2009. This event will also mark the return of the CHL championship to Quebec for the first time in 10 years.
A press conference making everything official has been called for Tuesday, at 10 a.m., at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski.
“It is with great pride and humility that we welcome the news today. It will be an honor to welcome the world of hockey to our home, in Rimouski, in 2025, and to promote our region throughout Canada and the United States,” declared Alexandre Tanguay, co-owner of the Océanic.
The Océanic have only won one Memorial Cup in their history – in 2000, when they were led by captain Jonathan Beaulieu and future two-time Stanley Cup champion Brad Richards. Since their arrival in Rimouski in 1995, the Océanic has participated in the Memorial Cup four times (2000, 2005, 2009, 2015).
The Océanic will be one of four clubs to participate in the Memorial Cup tournament in 2025, along with champion teams from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL ) and the Western Hockey League (WHL).
The 2024 Memorial Cup will be held in Saginaw, Michigan from May 23 to June 2.
The Quebec Remparts are the reigning Memorial Cup champions, having defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in the final last year, when the tournament was held in Kamloops, British Columbia. This victory, the fourth in a row in the QMJHL, allowed the Cecchini circuit to establish a CHL record since the round-robin format was introduced in this tournament in 1972.