Two More Enter The Fray

It's still a long way off, but 2026 will likely be here before we know it. As English poet and author Geoffrey Chaucer said, "Time waits for no man," and that holds true for the WHL teams who want to bid on hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup as well. Three teams threw their names into the mix earlier this summer, and it seems two more teams will test those three bids as the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Spokane Chiefs have made it official that they will bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup as well! Are these bids better than any of the others we've seen? Let's take a look and find out!

The five-time WHL champions and two-time Memorial Cup champions in the Medicine Hat Tigers threw their name into the mix on July 31 in an effort to host the Memorial Cup tournament. The Tigers always seem to have a solid teams as they've missed the playoffs only twice since winning the Memorial Cup in 2004. However, that success is tempered as they've only advanced past the second round of the WHL Playoffs four times in the last twenty years. Medicine Hat has never hosted a Memorial Cup tournament in their history, but they have won the trophy twice - 1987 and 1988 - while playing in five total Memorial Cup tournaments, including 1973, 1987, 1988, 2004, and 2007. If they are successful, they would be the sixth Alberta-based team to host the event and the first since Red Deer in 2016.

As we know, hosting a tournament of this magnitude comes with costs, and the city of Medicine Hat is backing the Tigers in their bid to the tune of $1.25 million in cash and $655,000 through "in kind" services. That amount of money puts them ahead of Lethbridge in the spending, but it's not just money that makes a tournament happen. Medicine Hat has some experience with big tournaments as they were one of the cities that hosted the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, and they certainly have a bigger population than Brandon when it comes to recruiting volunteers and filling the arena. That arena is Co-op Place, and the 7100-seat venue opened in 2015 so it's still relatively new compared to a few other venues.

"Hosting a tournament of this magnitude has the potential to have an enormous economic impact for both the City of Medicine Hat and the South Eastern Alberta Region," stated Tigers President Darrell Maser. "Being able to host the 2026 Memorial Cup on home ice would be a great experience for all Tigers' fans."

One day before Medicine Hat made their bid intention known, we got a US city in the WHL to enter the picture! The Spokane Chiefs made their announcement on July 30, and they're looking to host the tournament for the second time in their history after welcoming the CHL and its fans to Spokane in 1998. The Chiefs have had success as they're two-time Memorial Cup champions in 1991 and 2008, and they've played in three tournaments including 1991, 1998, and 2008. Ironically, the Chiefs were sold to two men in 1990 who had significant ties to the 1987 Medicine Hat Tigers' Memorial Cup win in Bryan Maxwell and Tim Speltz, and the Chiefs, under their leadership and vision, became the second US-based team in CHL history to win the Memorial Cup in 1991.

A lot has changed since 1998 when Spokane last hosted the tournament, but they do have the support of Spokane County, the Spokane Public Facilities District, and the city of Spokane in their quest to host the 2026 tournament. There has yet to be any financial commitments or pledging of funds of any kind for the Chiefs' bid, but it seems the entire Spokane community is in favour of this bid. Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, run by the Spokane Public Facilities District, was opened in 1995 so the building is older, but the arena seats 10,366 for hockey, making it one of the bigger venues in the WHL. It also has a state-of-the-art audio and video system and a 350° color LED ribbon board, so it's among the tops in the WHL when it comes to technology which is exactly what the CHL looks for in a host venue. Might that put them ahead of other venues?

"This is a very exciting time for our players, staff, fans, organization, and the city of Spokane," Chiefs General Manager Matt Bardsley said. "We strongly believe that we have a team that will consist of elite level players, strong depth throughout the lineup and a coaching and training/equipment staff that will maximize our ability to be a top team not only in the WHL but in the CHL. With the combination of our team, arena, organization, and community support, I know that as 2026 Memorial Cup hosts, we can provide a world class event with one of the top teams in the WHL and CHL."

I won't lie that I'm still pulling for Brandon to win the honour of hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup, but both Medicine Hat and Spokane present very good options when it comes to putting the tournament there. While no one is counting out either of Lethbridge or Kelowna yet, having the large population of Spokane and their impressive venue jump into the bidding process makes things tougher while Medicine Hat has shown it has the capabilities of hosting international hockey while having one of the best young teams with star player Gavin McKenna being draft eligible in 2026. Clearly, things just got a lot more complicated for the selection committee!

With these five teams all in the mix, there are pros and cons to each one of their hosting bids. As we know, the winning bid will be announced by the CHL in late November, and the next stages of the bidding process are already underway as these teams prepare to impress the CHL and its selection committee. Of these five teams, one will stand alone in November after impressing the judges and standing apart from the other bids as the 2026 Memorial Cup host!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!