2019 Kia Memorial Cup Discussion.

[cmcneil02]

Discuss anything Memorial Cup related here!

City/Host: Halifax, NS, Canada
Venue: Scotiabank Centre
Date: May 17-26, 2019
Arena Capacity: 10,595
Television: Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Click to read more...

 

[JMCx4]

Some ticketing and general event info posted here.

 

[cmcneil02]

Halifax Mooseheads won their Semi Final matchup in Overtime 2-1! Meaning both Halifax and Rouyn Noranda will be participating in the Memorial Cup! It’s all up to the WHL sand OHL champs now!

 

[cmcneil02]

Four teams remain in the race to get the final two spots in the Kia Memorial Cup!

OHL
The Guelph Storm pulled two absolutely insane Game 7 comebacks on the London Knights and the Saginaw Spirit. It was a risk move for the team to load up for this season but it was done and it is showing but their efforts to fighting in these series. Consistency will be needed as they will be competing against the powerful Ottawa 67's who are having a record breaking playoffs right now as they're undefeated (12-0) so far! If they win Game 1 of this series they complete an OHL Record for the longest win streak in the playoffs. This team is lead by an overage who is having a phenomenal season Tye Felhaber and one of the best goalie prospects out there right now world junior starter Michael DiPietro. It's gonna be a good battle.

WHL
As this league goes the match-up is between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Vancouver Giants! The Raiders coming off an absolutely amazing regular season as they were no doubt-ably the best team in the whole CHL at the start of the season! One player on that team really caught the unexpecting eye of Scouts Brett Leason who could certainly be the next "Drake Batherson" at this time! Brett was never projected to be drafted into the NHL but this year hes Round 1-2 potential and competed in the World Juniors of both the 1st and 2nd line for Team Canada this year! Behind them is Ian Scott the goaltender for the team and was Canada's world junior backup! Though they haven't had the smoothest playoff run they're still doing fairly well. Vancouver Giants fell short of the Raiders in the regular season standings this year. They have a really good lineup of 18-20 year old talent and have pushed themselves all the way to the final and plan on defeating the Raiders and heading to the M-Cup!

QMJHL
Both the host team the Halifax Mooseheads and the Rouyn Noranda Huskies are automatically off to the Memorial Cup because its a 4 team tournament! Halifax Mooseheads haven't had a really successful season in 2nd half of the year as they've been battling with numerous injuries this season with the worst one being Ostap Safin, a NHL Signed 4th Round Pick to the Edmonton Oilers. The depth on the Halifax Mooseheads team is possibly the best of the 6 teams right now but haven't gotten to perform it on the ice. A few games into the playoffs majority of their roster was healed back up which has lead them all the way to the final! But will their healing team be able to beat possibly the most dangerous team in the CHL right now? Yes the Rouyn Noranda Huskies came out of no where this season and put together a massively stacked team and tied a CHL record for the longest win streak in history. The biggest acquirees we're getting Noah Dobson and Joel Teasdale at the deadline and its no doubt they'll be a tough team to beat!

Anyways thanks for reading can't wait for the Memorial Cup
oh and... Go Moose Go!

 

[JMCx4]

@Coolmcneil or others: Any tips on public parking options near Scotiabank Centre would be appreciated. I presume traffic diversions will prevail on the blocks around the arena, so my wife & I will be prepared to walk quite a way from/to our rental car. Thanks.

 

[cmcneil02]

@Coolmcneil or others: Any tips on public parking options near Scotiabank Centre would be appreciated. I presume traffic diversions will prevail on the blocks around the arena, so my wife & I will be prepared to walk quite a way from/to our rental car. Thanks.

Hey @JMCx4 ! There'll probably be no free parking for the Memorial Cup tournament but they're parking towers in good walking distance to the Scotiabank Centre or the Centennial Pool which is by the front of the Arena but that'd be first come first serve. As prices will go I have no clue how'd that be. There'll probably be a lot of backed up traffic coming from the Armdale Rotary area of Chebucto and Quinpool Road heading to the "Commons" as a bridge is being repaired until August on Quinpool, Traffic will be diverted to Chebucto. Traffic Diversions on the blocks around the arena are most likely going to be enforced and it'll be pretty busy getting into the entrances especially the main entrance on the front left of the building. The front right entrance is probably the best one to enter through but I highly recommend you get there early. There's also two entrances by the Ticket Atlantic Box Office and the NS Sport Hall Of Fame but that don't recommend going that way in. I also recommend eating before the game as well as lines will be busy unless you go half way through a period. The concessions and walking space isn't the greatest in the front of the building but the back-end of the arena is okay. Anyways I hope you and your wife have a great time and have a good experience at the games and hope I didn't say too many negative things! I guaranteed you'll love the city and have a fun time at the games! I don't have a license myself yet so I tried my best to help you the best I could! Aha

-Connor

 

[JMCx4]

Thanks, Connor!

 

[Canadian Game]

Just curious, if coming from Dartmouth, would it be more convenient to take the ferry over on game days and walk rather than driving and parking? If it's raining, I'm driving. Lol

During regular season and playoffs, what is the cost of parking usually?

 

[cmcneil02]

Just curious, if coming from Dartmouth, would it be more convenient to take the ferry over on game days and walk rather than driving and parking? If it's raining, I'm driving. Lol

During regular season and playoffs, what is the cost of parking usually?

That's actually not that bad of an idea you should take the ferry! Don't want to risk an accident on the bridge and have either get stuck in traffic or have to re-route. Traffic and Parking overall will probably be too stressful. Not too sure on my knowledge what parking costs are like but playoffs have stayed the same cost then regular season, I believe but I cannot confirm that.

 

[JMCx4]

Just curious, if coming from Dartmouth, would it be more convenient to take the ferry over on game days and walk rather than driving and parking? If it's raining, I'm driving. Lol ...

@Canadian Game : Intriguing option, thanks for bringing it up. Looks like a 10-ish minute walk from the Halifax Ferry Terminal to Scotiabank Centre, which wouldn't be bad if it doesn't rain. Your idea encouraged me to check Halifax Transit site for bus route options. My wife & I will be staying north near Oakfield/Enfield, and there's a MetroX express bus loop outside Fall River with free parking. We might give that a try on the first week end and see how it might serve us for later tournament games. I expect the crowds will grow as the round robin matches progress, and especially if (or should I say, when) the Mooseheads advance.

 

[Canadian Game]

That's actually not that bad of an idea you should take the ferry! Don't want to risk an accident on the bridge and have either get stuck in traffic or have to re-route. Traffic and Parking overall will probably be too stressful. Not too sure on my knowledge what parking costs are like but playoffs have stayed the same cost then regular season, I believe but I cannot confirm that.

Thanks for the info about the bridge. For the most part I'll be crossing over in the mornings and spending the days in Halifax rather than crossing closer to the games but you raise a good point about if there's an accident on the bridge.

@Canadian Game : Intriguing option, thanks for bringing it up. Looks like a 10-ish minute walk from the Halifax Ferry Terminal to Scotiabank Centre, which wouldn't be bad if it doesn't rain. Your idea encouraged me to check Halifax Transit site for bus route options. My wife & I will be staying north near Oakfield/Enfield, and there's a MetroX express bus loop outside Fall River with free parking. We might give that a try on the first week end and see how it might serve us for later tournament games. I expect the crowds will grow as the round robin matches progress, and especially if (or should I say, when) the Mooseheads advance.

Yeah the ferry option was the main reason for booking our stay in Dartmouth. It was cheaper doing that compared to staying in downtown Halifax, and I figured the ferry option might save me from having to find parking every day and evening on some of the days. In terms of crowds, based on a couple of other Memorial Cups we've been to, I'd expect the opening game on Friday, the semi-finals, and championship game to be the busiest games. The opening game on Friday is when the Canadian Armed Forces bring the Memorial Cup to centre ice for a ceremonial presentation, and the host team wears commemorative Memorial Cup jerseys for that game only.

 

[JMCx4]

... In terms of crowds, based on a couple of other Memorial Cups we've been to, I'd expect the opening game on Friday, the semi-finals, and championship game to be the busiest games. The opening game on Friday is when the Canadian Armed Forces bring the Memorial Cup to centre ice for a ceremonial presentation, and the host team wears commemorative Memorial Cup jerseys for that game only.

Glad to hear from someone with previous Memorial Cup attendance experience. This will be our first time. I'll use your advice as I wrap up our final plans in the coming days. It's going to be a busy 11 days for us, so any hints & tips will help reduce the surprises. Thank you.

 

[Canadian Game]

Glad to hear from someone with previous Memorial Cup attendance experience. This will be our first time. I'll use your advice as I wrap up our final plans in the coming days. It's going to be a busy 11 days for us, so any hints & tips will help reduce the surprises. Thank you.

It's a great event. I'm sure you will both enjoy it! This will be our third Memorial Cup, and I've been wanting to go to Halifax for quite some time, so I'm excited. It's been 15 years since I was last there and I can't wait to see the city (and region) again.

A few of suggestions:
The Memorial Cup fan breakfast has been one of the main highlights for us both times. It's not widely promoted (probably because of limited space) but it's been a great event. You'll meet fans from across the CHL. Some have been traveling to the Memorial Cup for many years. I believe this year you have to register and pay in advance: I just booked this tour with Ambassatours. Join me!

While the site doesn't show anything about the event itself, they generally request that attendees bring something CHL related to be used as a door prize (shirts, hats, pucks, mugs, etc). Bring cash too because there will be raffles and silent auctions with a lot of cool prizes ranging from small items to jerseys and sticks. Aside from the food, the raffles are a huge focus of the event. Money raised goes to a charity in the host city. In Windsor over $10,000 was raised for a local kids sports organization. Note that it is at Murphy's Restaurant on Sunday, May 19 at 9am.

Another suggestion is that if you want any Memorial Cup merchandise, there's usually better selection sooner than later. The Memorial Cup pins tend to be the highest demand items. Once something is sold out, they're not likely to get more in stock.

The Canadian Armed Forces and Hockey Hall of Fame also have really good displays. The Hall of Fame will likely have a nice selection of trophies along with memorabilia to check out. Additionally the CHL trophies should be there, which it's cool to see the names of some of the teams/players who won them before.

Keep an eye out for NHL players, alumni, and GMs. Some are there to enjoy the tournament. For GMs and scouts its an opportunity to see prospects playing at the highest level before the NHL draft. They'll likely blend in with the crowds, but you never know who you might see.

If you see a couple of people wearing Hamilton Bulldogs jerseys at the games or breakfast, there's a good chance that it's us. Don't be afraid to say hello!

 

[JMCx4]

... A few of suggestions:
The Memorial Cup fan breakfast has been one of the main highlights for us both times. It's not widely promoted (probably because of limited space) but it's been a great event. You'll meet fans from across the CHL. Some have been traveling to the Memorial Cup for many years. I believe this year you have to register and pay in advance: I just booked this tour with Ambassatours. Join me! ...

I briefly considered breakfast attendance on the first Sunday, but we're staying at a B&B (breakfast costs already sunk) and we'll be attending morning church services. I do hope you took advantage of Ambassatours' 15% discount for tournament-goers by using the "Memorial15" Discount Code when you booked; that saved us some disposable income on a couple of bus tours later in the week.

... Another suggestion is that if you want any Memorial Cup merchandise, there's usually better selection sooner than later. The Memorial Cup pins tend to be the highest demand items. Once something is sold out, they're not likely to get more in stock. ...

My wife is a pin collector, so we will make sure to head for the merchandise immediately on our arrival Friday evening. Thanks.

...If you see a couple of people wearing Hamilton Bulldogs jerseys at the games or breakfast, there's a good chance that it's us. Don't be afraid to say hello!

I'll keep an eye out for you. Not sure whose jersey(s) I'll be wearing to the games (depends on whether PA and/or Guelph win their respective championships), but my wife will very likely be the only fan in attendance wearing a St. Louis Blues jersey. Old habits die hard.

 

[JMCx4]

Memorial Cup arrival info. More at: 2019 Memorial Cup Info Thread

 

[JMCx4]

Guelph is going to Halifax ... Guelph Storm come from behind to win 2019 OHL Championship

 

[JMCx4]

And Vancouver stretches the WHL Final to Game 7 in Prince Albert, with a 4-2 Game 6 victory.

 

[PanniniClaus]

And Vancouver stretches the WHL Final to Game 7 in Prince Albert, with a 4-2 Game 6 victory.

any chance sportsnet airs this game? There has been next to no playoff coverage.

 

[cmcneil02]

Two Championships ending in 6 and one ending in 7. This is gonna be one heck of a tournament! I honestly have no clue who's gonna win the tournament this year it could go any way. I feel Guelph will go on and beat Rouyn Noranda 4-2 in the finals!

 

[JMCx4]

I'm still rooting for the Raiders to win their Game 7, but that long series could leave whichever WHL participant at a disadvantage come opening weekend in Halifax. Gotta agree this is shaping up to be a very entertaining tourney.

 

[JMCx4]

PA scores late @ 18:25 of the 1st OT period to beat VAN in Game 7. The Raiders will represent the WHL in the 2019 Memorial Cup tournament. Bring it on, boys.

 

[JMCx4]

Post-game wrap from Saskatchewan ... Prince Albert Raiders claim first WHL Championship in 34 years

 

[JMCx4]

Looking at the Memorial Cup website for recent tournament history - which they only track back to 1999 - I saw that the Huskies have the most recent experience (2016 Final). The Storm made it to the Final game in 2014, and the Mooseheads won the Cup in 2013. Consulting other web sources, the Raiders franchise hasn't been part of the tourney since 1985 when they won the WHL post-season then the CHL championship. Question: Does any of that history mean doodly-squat when it comes to how this year's Cup competitors will fare?

 

[JMCx4]

I received via E-mail this morning some "Need-to-know information" from Scotiabank Centre regarding Memorial Cup activities. Visitors & locals may find some of the "Helpful Links" actually helpful. I posted the content here ---> 2019 Memorial Cup Info Thread

In particular, check the "Show Your Ticket" discount offers from Downtown Halifax businesses & attractions. I'll be printing those out for my party-of-two.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Cheering on Prince Albert because I like to see the smaller populated-based cities win.

Realistically, I don't care who wins, I just care if the team who bids and doesn't make it wins the Memorial Cup anyway.