By Eli J. Ridder, Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat Tigers officially in the running to host Memorial Cup

Sep 23, 2024 | 10:00 AM

The Medicine Hat Tigers are formally in the running for the Memorial Cup, the Canadian Hockey League announced on Monday as it revealed the next steps teams need to complete as they vie to host the playoff tournament.

The Tigers were among five Western Hockey League teams that submitted formal bids by last Friday after declaring an intent to bid in July.

The Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings, Kelowna Rockets, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs will present their bids before a selection committee in the coming weeks.

The CHL said each of the bids will be evaluated based on four categories: business operations; local atmosphere and community engagement; event logistics; and hockey operations.

Following the evaluation process, the winning bid is tentatively scheduled to be announced by the end of December 2024.

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Tigers president Darrell Maser said in a statement the announcement marked “an exciting time for the Medicine Hat Tigers organization.”

“We also recognize that all the teams bidding to host the tournament have excellent programs and facilities,” Maser said.

READ: Tigers dominate Edmonton Oil Kings to win season opener

“Any of these organizations would be a deserving host for the Memorial Cup.”

Head Coach Willie Desjardins said the Tigers’ bid is “really, really good”.

“We’re proud of our city, it’d be great to get it,” he told CHAT News on Saturday after the Tigers started off the season with a win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Tigers forward Kadon McCann said the team is super fortunate to have the opportunity to bid for the Memorial Cup.

“It’s a big thing to host a Memorial Cup and it’s a lot of money, so we are super fortunate to have great ownership like the Masers, and a great organization and fanbase that we are able to have that opportunity to have a chance to host a Memorial Cup,” McCann told CHAT News earlier this month.

“We are super fortunate and it’s obviously a huge talk in the dressing room, but we are going to focus on this year first and then whatever happens, happens.”

The Tigers play the Red Deer Rebels back-to-back this weekend in a playoffs rematch. The Tigers will take on the Rebels at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Co-op Place.