For the second straight season, the Memorial Cup will not be awarded.
The Canadian Hockey League announced on Tuesday morning that the year-end tournament will not take place this year due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a league, we waited as long as we could in hopes that this was not the decision that we were going to have to make,” the CHL said in a prepared statement on Twitter. “Regrettably, we do not see a path in we will be able to produce champions in our three member leagues due to border restrictions and quarantining requirements.”
The news of this year’s tournament cancellation is not a total shock as only the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has committed to a post-season, which is expected to begin later this month.
The Western Hockey League has yet to announce if they will have a playoff this season, but Prince Albert Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid has mentioned in interviews that the Ed Chynoweth Cup won’t be handed out this year.
Meanwhile, the Ontario Hockey League hasn’t even started their plans for a shortened season as they remain in discussions with the Ontario government on a return to play plan.
The Oshawa Generals and the Soo Greyhounds were bidding to host this year’s Memorial Cup, but a tournament date was never announced due to the pandemic.
The 2020 tournament, which was to be hosted by the Kelowna Rockets, was cancelled last March due to the pandemic.
