Memorial Cup officially cancelled for second straight year

For the second straight season, the Canadian Hockey League has been forced to cancel the Memorial Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CHL announced on Tuesday that the 2021 Memorial Cup will not go ahead, with CHL president Dan MacKenzie citing that the pandemic has made it “impossible” to produce champions of the CHL’s three leagues: the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

“The CHL is committed to the health and safety of our players, their families and 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,” MacKenzie said in a statement. “The decision was made based on the limitations on travel, border restrictions, and quarantining requirements that would make it impossible to produce league champions.”

Holding the Memorial Cup this year was always going to be a stretch, as the WHL said early in the season they were not naming a league champion, nor were they holding a league-wide playoff system. And the OHL still hasn’t actually started the season.