It was a tight race between Kitchener and Guelph, but in the end, the Royal City was selected to host the 2027 Memorial Cup.
The decision was ultimately made by a committee independent from the CHL, of various professionals from the game of hockey, including NHL executives.
“Guelph definitely wowed them by taking (the selection committee) around the community and engaging them in every single step of the event: what it would look like, where it would be, what it would sound like,” said Carla Keller, director of National Events and League Program at the NHL.
Ultimately, Guelph’s pitch of hosting the tournament during their celebration of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the city itself was effective. The City of Guelph has also committed to providing the Guelph Storm with $600,000 after their successful bid to host the tournament.
“The chance to hold this event here in 2027 is an unbelievable opportunity, coinciding with our bicentennial is going to be amazing,” said Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie. “Our council is united around this as well; we are giving financially towards this event, and we’ll probably be looking at other ways to make sure that we can make it a once-in-a-lifetime event for everyone to remember.”
While the focus of the tournament is the hockey being played on the ice amongst the host and the winners of the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL, the tournament also holds a foundational purpose of remembrance. CHL Commissioner Dan MacKenzie, who was born in Guelph and continues to reside there today, noted Guelph’s connection to the themes of remembrance and its place as the home of John McCrae, a Canadian soldier and poet who wrote “In Flanders Fields.”
“It’s a big compliment to get the tournament,” said Bryan Crawford, OHL commissioner. “To be given a spot in it isn’t taken lightly. We want to make sure that the team has every chance to win the tournament. I would imagine that they’re going to be doing everything they can over the next year and a half to hoist the championship at home just like Saginaw did a few years ago.”
According to those who spoke at the press conference on Friday, the decision between Kitchener and Guelph was not an easy one.
“There was no bad choice,” said MacKenzie. “Kitchener has lots of history, great building, great organization, they fill the building no matter what. They’re a top-notch organization, and I don’t think it was so much that Kitchener did anything to lose; it was more that Guelph did more to win.”
Preparations in Guelph begin immediately, and the team has plans to replace the Sleeman Centre’s jumbotron and add a few hundred seats for the tournament.
