Four teams are in the Memorial Cup each year, with the victor from the three leagues (WHL, OHL, and QMJHL), and the host team that changes each year. This year, the Edmonton Oil King represented the WHL, the London Knights came from the OHL, the defending champs Saint Josh Sea Dogs won the QMJHL, and Shawinigan was the host. When the host team is named, the management from the team makes many trades to boost the teams chances and improve them. In some cases, the host wins their respective league, making them deserving of being in the big dance, but a lot of teams lose out in the early rounds of the playoffs. The Cataractes lost in the second round of the playoffs, but came back much more rested than the other teams still playing. They barely made it out of the round robin, having to play a tie breaker. I don't want to take anything away from the champs, but I don't like it when the hosts win. I feel they are less deserving and build there team through trades rather than the draft. Unless they win their own league, I enjoy seeing the other league champs winning. However, the Memorial Cup is a tremendous showcase of junior hockey talent, and a great money raiser for the host city.
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