The Memorial Cup has arrived in Alberta for the first time in 42 years.
The annual MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament showcases the best in Canadian junior hockey and crowns a new Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion every spring.
This year the Red Deer Rebels are hosting the tournament May 19 to 29.
While in Alberta, the Memorial Cup is making stops in several communities, including a stop here in Innisfail on May 21 at the Royal Canadian Legion. The cup is also scheduled to make an appearance at the MasterCard Memorial Cup Golf tournament on May 26 at the Innisfail Golf Club.
“It's a part of Canadian history,” said Michael Barclay, the sergeant-at-arms at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion. “Next to the Grey Cup, it's probably one of the oldest non-professional sport trophies in Canada, if not North America.”
The Memorial Cup was created in 1919 and donated to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) by the Ontario Hockey Association in remembrance of soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country during the First World War.
The Memorial Cup entered the City of Red Deer on May 19 to much fanfare.
That included arriving by military helicopter, transport by an armoured vehicle, and being followed by a parade featuring a military band and veterans heading to the Red Deer cenotaph. A howitzer cannon announced the arrival of the Memorial Cup with a bang.
Barclay was one of several veterans participating in the parade and the event last Thursday. “I wanted to be part of this,” said Barclay, noting the military connection to the Memorial Cup.
Alberta's first Memorial Cup Champions were the Calgary Canadians in 1926. The last Memorial Cup hosted in Alberta was in Calgary in 1974.
The Memorial Cup visit to Innisfail thrilled hockey players and fans of all ages and was one for the memory books.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see here,” said Barclay. “Alberta's waited 42 years (to host it), and it could be over another 42 years before it's back here again.”
