The 2019 Memorial Cup (branded as the 2019 Memorial Cup presented by Kia for sponsorship reasons) was a four-team, round-robin format tournament held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 17–26, 2019. It was the 101st Memorial Cup championship which determine the champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The tournament was hosted by the Halifax Mooseheads, who won the right to host the tournament over the Moncton Wildcats. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies defeated the Halifax Mooseheads to win their first Memorial Cup. Mario Pouliot became the first coach to win consecutive Memorial Cups while leading different teams.

2019 Memorial Cup
Tournament details
Venue(s)Scotiabank Centre
Halifax, Nova Scotia
DatesMay 17–26, 2019
Teams4
Host teamHalifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
TV partner(s)Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Final positions
ChampionsRouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) (1st title)
Tournament statistics
Attendance79,099
← 2018
2022 →
Silver bowl trophy with two large handles, mounted on a wide black plinth engraved with team names on silver plates.
The Memorial Cup trophy

Host bidding process

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The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) considered bids from the Halifax Mooseheads and the Moncton Wildcats to host the 2019 Memorial Cup.[1] The Mooseheads had previously hosted the 2000 Memorial Cup, and proposed to host the event at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax to coincide with the team's 25th anniversary during the 2018–19 QMJHL season.[2] The Wildcats had previously hosted the 2006 Memorial Cup, and proposed to host the event at the Avenir Centre which completed construction in 2018.[3] On April 5, 2018, the QMJHL announced that the Mooseheads were chosen to host the 2019 event.[4][5]

Road to the Cup

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OHL playoffs

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The J. Ross Robertson Cup, championship trophy of the OHL

The Guelph Storm won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as the playoffs champions of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Storm defeated the Kitchener Rangers in four consecutive games in the first round, then lost the next three games to the London Knights before rallying with four consecutive victories to win the second round series in seven games. The Storm lost the first two games in both the third round and the finals, but defeated the Saginaw Spirit in seven games and the Ottawa 67's in six games.[6]

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Finals
            
1 Ottawa 4
8 Hamilton 0
1 Ottawa 4
4 Sudbury 0
4 Sudbury 4
5 Mississauga 0
1 Ottawa 4
Eastern Conference
3 Oshawa 0
2 Niagara 4
7 North Bay 1
2 Niagara 2
3 Oshawa 4
3 Oshawa 4
6 Peterborough 1
E1 Ottawa 2
W4 Guelph 4
1 London 4
8 Windsor 0
1 London 3
4 Guelph 4
4 Guelph 4
5 Kitchener 0
4 Guelph 4
Western Conference
2 Saginaw 3
2 Saginaw 4
7 Sarnia 0
2 Saginaw 4
3 Sault Ste. Marie 2
3 Sault Ste. Marie 4
6 Owen Sound 1

QMJHL playoffs

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The President's Cup, championship trophy of the QMJHL

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies were ranked as the top Canadian Hockey League team for four months during the 2018–19 QMJHL season.[7] The Huskies set a QMJHL record with 59 wins during the season, which included a 25-game winning streak.[8] The Huskies won their second President's Cup as the playoffs champions of the QMJHL.[8][9]

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Semifinals Finals
            
W1 Rouyn-Noranda 4
W8 Shawinigan 2
W1 Rouyn-Noranda 4
W4 Victoriaville 0
W2 Drummondville 4
W7 Gatineau 1
1 Rouyn-Noranda 4
Western Conference
4 Rimouski 0
W3 Sherbrooke 4
W6 Blainville-Boisbriand 1
W2 Drummondville 4
W3 Sherbrooke 1
W4 Victoriaville 4
W5 Val-d'Or 3
1 Rouyn-Noranda 4
Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second rounds.
3 Halifax 2
E1 Halifax 4
E8 Quebec 3
E1 Halifax 4
E7 Moncton 0
E2 Baie-Comeau 3
E7 Moncton 4
2 Drummondville 2
Eastern Conference
3 Halifax 4
E3 Rimouski 4
E6 Chicoutimi 0
E3 Rimouski 4
E5 Cape Breton 1
E4 Charlottetown 2
E5 Cape Breton 4

WHL playoffs

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The Ed Chynoweth Cup, championship trophy of the WHL

The Prince Albert Raiders won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as the playoffs champions of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Raiders won the championship series in overtime in the seventh game versus the Vancouver Giants.[10]

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Finals
            
E1 Prince Albert 4
W2 Red Deer 0
E1 Prince Albert 4
E2 Saskatoon 2
E2 Saskatoon 4
E3 Moose Jaw 0
E1 Prince Albert 4
Eastern
C1 Edmonton 2
C1 Edmonton 4
W1 Medicine Hat 2
C1 Edmonton 4
C3 Calgary 0
C2 Lethbridge 3
C3 Calgary 4
E1 Prince Albert 4
B1 Vancouver 3
U1 Everett 4
W1 Tri-City 1
U1 Everett 1
U2 Spokane 4
U2 Spokane 4
U3 Portland 1
B1 Vancouver 4
Western
U2 Spokane 1
B1 Vancouver 4
W2 Seattle 2
B1 Vancouver 4
B2 Victoria 0
B2 Victoria 4
B3 Kamloops 2

Event details

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HMCS Glace Bay

As part of a new sponsorship agreement between the CHL and Kia Motors, the South Korean automaker replaced Mastercard as presenting sponsor of the tournament beginning in 2019.[11]

The Memorial Cup trophy arrived in Halifax aboard HMCS Glace Bay, then was accompanied by players from the Halifax Mooseheads in a parade to the Scotiabank Centre.[12]

Team rosters

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Rosters as listed on the Memorial Cup web site for each team:[13]

Tournament games

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All times local (UTC −3)[14]

Round-robin

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May 17 Prince Albert Raiders 1–4 Halifax Mooseheads Scotiabank Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 10:49 – Samuel Asselin (1)
18:44 – Xavier Parent (1)
Noah Gregor (1) – 10:46 Second period 15:52 – ppJake Ryczek (1)
No scoring Third period 18:07 – enAntoine Morand (1)
Ian Scott (33 saves / 36 shots) Goalie stats Alexis Gravel (23 saves / 24 shots)


May 18 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 2–5 Guelph Storm Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Vincent Marleau (1) – 2:17 First period 11:00 – shAlexey Toropchenko (1)
13:07 – Alexey Toropchenko (2)
18:23 – Alexey Toropchenko (3)
Jakub Lauko (1) – 11:16 Second period 3:20 – MacKenzie Entwistle (1)
19:15 – Nick Suzuki (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Samuel Harvey (24 saves / 29 shots) Goalie stats Anthony Popovich (22 saves / 24 shots)


May 19 Halifax Mooseheads 4–2 Guelph Storm Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Antoine Morand (2) – 05:10 First period 19:10 – Sean Durzi (1)
Raphaël Lavoie (1) – sh – 06:48
Maxim Trépanier (1) – 10:34
Second period No scoring
Samuel Asselin (2) – 07:20 Third period 01:07 – pp – Sean Durzi (2)
Alexis Gravel (33 saves / 35 shots) Goalie stats Anthony Popovich (38 saves / 42 shots)


May 20 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 6–3 Prince Albert Raiders Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Tyler Hinam (1) – 4:34
Joël Teasdale (1) – pp – 18:32
First period 8:32 – Cole Fonstad (1)
13:47 – Brayden Pachal (1)
Félix Bibeau (1) – 12:59 Second period 17:43 – Noah Gregor (2)
Tyler Hinam (2) – 15:28
Peter Abbandonato (1) – 16:53
Noah Dobson (1) – en – 18:19
Third period No scoring
Samuel Harvey (30 saves / 33 shots) Goalie stats Ian Scott (27 saves / 32 shots)


May 21 Guelph Storm 5–2 Prince Albert Raiders Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Fedor Gordeev (1) – 9:42
Isaac Ratcliffe (1) – 15:18
First period 11:32 – ppSean Montgomery (1)
19:16 – Dante Hannoun (1)
Liam Hawel (1) – pp – 1:21
Nick Suzuki (2) – 5:02
Second period No scoring
Nick Suzuki (3) – 6:42 Third period No scoring
Anthony Popovich (19 saves / 21 shots) Goalie stats Ian Scott (20 saves / 25 shots)


May 22 Halifax Mooseheads 3–4 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Scotiabank Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 14:38 – Félix Bibeau (2)
15:50 – Joël Teasdale (2)
Benoit-Olivier Groulx (1) – 0:48
Arnaud Durandeau (1) – 7:34
Antoine Morand (3) – pp – 19:17
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 10:13 – William Rouleau (1)
19:05 – Jakub Lauko (2)
Alexis Gravel (36 saves / 40 shots) Goalie stats Samuel Harvey (24 saves / 27 shots)


 
Scotiabank Centre interior during a Mooseheads game
Round-robin standings
Pos Team Pld W L GF GA Pts
1 Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL/host) 3 2 1 11 7 4 Advanced directly to the championship game
2 Guelph Storm (OHL) 3 2 1 12 8 4 Advanced to the semifinal game
2 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL) 3 2 1 12 11 4
4 Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) 3 0 3 6 15 0
Source: [citation needed]

Semifinal game

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May 24 Guelph Storm 4–6 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Isaac Ratcliffe (2) – 6:28
Jack Hanley (1) – 7:28
First period 4:58 – ppAlex Beaucage (1)
9:31 – Joël Teasdale (3)
Cedric Ralph (1) – 5:53 Second period 6:49 – Tyler Hinam (3)
Isaac Ratcliffe (3) – 18:47 Third period 5:40 – Félix Bibeau (3)
12:33 – Félix Bibeau (4)
19:57 – enRafaël Harvey-Pinard (1)
Anthony Popovich (33 saves / 38 shots) Goalie stats Samuel Harvey (34 saves / 38 shots)


Championship game

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May 26 Halifax Mooseheads 2–4 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies Scotiabank Centre Recap  
Samuel Asselin (3) – pp – 19:16 First period No scoring
Raphaël Lavoie (2) – 5:26 Second period 10:27 – Félix Bibeau (5)
15:11 – Joël Teasdale (4)
No scoring Third period 3:02 – Peter Abbandonato (2)
5:03 – Vincent Marleau (2)
Alexis Gravel (31 saves / 35 shots) Goalie stats Samuel Harvey (23 saves / 25 shots)


The Huskies won their first Memorial Cup in franchise history with a victory by a 4–2 score versus the Mooseheads, watched by a sold-out crowd with 10,595 fans.[9][15] The Mooseheads had led the game a 2–0 score in the second period, then the Huskies scored four consecutive goals for the win.[7][15] Huskies head coach Mario Pouliot became the first person to win consecutive Memorial Cups with two different teams, and third coach overall to win with multiple teams including, Don Hay and Bryan Maxwell.[9][15]

Statistical leaders

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Skaters

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The Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy, awarded to Sam Steel as the most outstanding player in the Memorial Cup playoffs
The Ed Chynoweth Trophy, awarded to Sam Steel as the top scorer in the Memorial Cup tournament
  • GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Jakub Lauko Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5 2 6 8 0
Nick Suzuki Guelph Storm 4 3 4 7 0
Sean Durzi Guelph Storm 4 2 5 7 2
Félix Bibeau Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5 5 1 6 8
Isaac Ratcliffe Guelph Storm 4 3 3 6 8
Alexey Toropchenko Guelph Storm 4 3 3 6 0
Maxim Trépanier Halifax Mooseheads 4 1 5 6 2
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5 1 5 6 0
Joël Teasdale Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5 4 1 5 6
Samuel Asselin Halifax Mooseheads 4 3 2 5 2

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltenders

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Hap Emms Memorial Trophy, awarded to Kaden Fulcher as the best goaltender in the Memorial Cup tournament
  • GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes)
Player Team GP W L OTL SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Alexis Gravel Halifax Mooseheads 4 2 2 0 134 11 2.78 .918 0 237
Anthony Popovich Guelph Storm 4 2 2 0 125 13 3.28 .896 0 238
Samuel Harvey Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5 4 1 0 127 17 3.40 .882 0 300
Ian Scott Prince Albert Raiders 3 0 3 0 93 13 4.36 .860 0 179

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)

Awards

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The CHL handed out the following awards at the conclusion of the 2019 Memorial Cup:[16]

Goaltender: Alexis Gravel, Halifax Mooseheads
Defence: Sean Durzi, Guelph Storm; Noah Dobson, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Forwards: Isaac Ratcliffe, Guelph Storm; Félix Bibeau, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies; Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Halifax Mooseheads

References

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  1. ^ "QMJHL announces shortlist for 2019 Mastercard Memorial Cup bid presentations". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mooseheads to bid for 2019 Memorial Cup". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. December 8, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "Moncton Wildcats bid for 2019 Memorial Cup". CBC News. December 15, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Halifax Mooseheads to host 2019 Memorial Cup tournament". CBC News. April 5, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Letterick, Kate (April 5, 2018). "Disappointment in Moncton as Wildcats lose bid to host 2019 Memorial Cup". CBC News. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  6. ^ The Canadian Press (May 12, 2019). "Guelph Storm win OHL championship with Game 6 win over Ottawa". Sportsnet. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Mario Pouliot réécrit l'histoire du hockey junior canadien". Habs Et LNH (in French). May 26, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  8. ^ a b McKenna, Ryan (May 17, 2019). "Huskies coach Mario Pouliot has chance to make Memorial Cup history". Sportsnet. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Abbandonato, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies beat Halifax Mooseheads for Memorial Cup". North Shore News. May 26, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Zary, Darren (May 14, 2019). "WHL final Game 7: P. A. Raiders win in OT, Hannoun nets winner". The StarPhoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "CHL welcomes Kia Canada as new Partner to Drive Canada's national pastime". Canadian Hockey League. October 3, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "Memorial Cup to arrive in Halifax aboard HMCS Glace Bay". Halifax Today. May 6, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Rosters". Memorial Cup. Canadian Hockey League. May 26, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "2019 Memorial Cup Schedule". Memorial Cup. Canadian Hockey League. May 26, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are 2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia Champions". Ontario Hockey League. May 27, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "2019 Memorial Cup Presented by Kia Awards & All-Stars". Memorial Cup. Canadian Hockey League. May 26, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
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