U of R Rams season ends in Mitchell Bowl to Laval
1h ago
The Rams last appeared in the Vanier Cup in 2000.
It’s time to get rid of the host team in the Memorial Cup.
Since 1983 the Memorial Cup tournament has included a host team. It was a reaction to the disastrous 1980, three-team, round-robin tournament when the Peterborough Petes threw a game against the Cornwall Royals to eliminate the Regina Pats.
The Pats are now the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, so they’re desperate to be competitive, to win a week-long, four-team tournament in May to become major junior hockey’s champions.
Knowing they get into the big dance, the Pats mortgaged their future, dealing draft choices to bolster a roster that is clinging to a playoff berth.Their provincial rivals in Saskatoon, Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert also made deals to get better.
Junior hockey is a business that treats unpaid children and young men as commodities, all to win a championship. The worst example came in Regina, where the host team was expected to sell its soul for a trophy that can be won with three victories, at the right time, in May.