It’s official: the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament is coming to Regina.
The Pats haven’t won the Memorial Cup since 1974. Ed Staniowski played for that team and, after playing in the NHL, served in the Canadian Forces.
Now his old team, named for the Princess Patricia Light Infantry, is hosting the Memorial Cup. The tournament honours soldiers who lost their lives in World War I.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of anything I’ve ever been involved in, in the game,” Staniowski said at a press conference on Sunday. “This is tremendously exciting.”
The Canadian Hockey League named Regina as the host city on Saturday, beating out the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Oshawa Generals for the honour. The successful bid came as the result of a complete team rebuild – from the ownership group to the coaching staff.
“When we traded the other veteran players, did we know that Connor Hobbs was going to be as good as he was? No,” Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock said. “We thought that Steel was going to be somebody to build around. So that’s fallen into place.”
Outside of the rink, the rest of the Queen City will also benefit from the tournament making its way to Regina.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Pats were successful in this bid,” Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said. “This means so much to our city and to the tradition of the Pats.”
Both the Pats and the Memorial Cup will celebrate their 100th anniversaries next year. Between the military ties, and the Pats standing as the top team in the country, it would have been hard for the CHL to turn the team down.
“There’s no doubt that the city of Regina, the community at large, has a history of success and putting on great events,” said Pats governor Anthony Marquart. “That had a huge part in our presentation.”
The Brandt Centre will see some upgrades before the event hits the ice. The Pats’ ownership group plans to add more seating – and fans might even see an outdoor game at the new Mosaic Stadium.
“We did bring forward a number of arterial events that could be considered and be a part of the Memorial Cup. We’ll have those discussions with the Canadian Hockey League in the near term,” Marquart said.
As for the current players on the roster – Staniowski says the tournament could be the time of their hockey lives.
“They won’t realize it, even when they play the game – that final game next year – how big it is,” he said. “Sixty years later, 50 years later, 30 years later, whatever it might be, it’s still right there in the forefront of your mind of what you were a part of – something much bigger than yourself.”
Based on a report by CTV's Bianca Millions
