As the coronavirus restrictions continue, we have some bad news sports fans. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Canadian Hockey League – the organizing body for the three major junior leagues in Canada – is expected to cancel the playoffs for major junior hockey as well as the 2020 Memorial Cup.
(Update: they have indeed canceled the playoffs.)
The #CHL and regional leagues have made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 Playoffs and @CHLMemorialCup.
We look forward with hope that next season will provide new opportunity to celebrate and that the #MemorialCup may be presented.
FULL 📰: https://t.co/Jq67zZGpDv pic.twitter.com/K1VfeLdzN1
— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) March 23, 2020
The Memorial Cup was slated for May 22-31 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The host Kelowna Rockets were slated to host the league champions from the Western, Ontario and Quebec leagues in a tournament to crown the top junior team in Canada.
As noted by TSN’s Bob McKenzie on Twitter, this will become the first time since the Memorial Cup’s inception in 1919 that a champion is not crowned. The 1919 influenza pandemic that halted that year’s Stanley Cup Final between Montreal and Seattle evidentially didn’t impact that year’s junior championship in Toronto.
