By Derek Harper
It’s a brand new week in the offseason and like usual, there’s more news. The Spokane Chiefs have announced their intention to bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup. The news came Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers also announced their intentions this week to bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup.
Before them, the Kelowna Rockets announced earlier this summer their intent to bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup. Unfortunately, the Rockets previously missed out on hosting it a few years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The Rockets weren’t the only team to announce a bid earlier this summer as the Brandon Wheat Kings announced their intent.
More teams are expected to make bids for the 2026 Memorial Cup in the future.
“We believe the combination of our team, staff, facilities, and city of Spokane will provide for an unforgettable Memorial Cup,” Spokane Chiefs Governor Bobby Brett said in a press release. “Fans from all over the region will get the chance to watch the four best teams in the CHL compete for the hardest trophy in all of hockey to win.”
New Western Hockey League (WHL) commissioner Dan Near also spoke on the team’s intent to bid.
“The WHL enthusiastically supports the Chiefs’ interest to host the 2026 Memorial Cup,” Near said. “The Spokane community has proven committed and proficient in hosting major sporting events and there’s no doubt they’d do a fantastic job in hosting Junior Hockey’s most prestigious tournament.”
Near emphasized how thankful he was for the Chiefs’ management and all they do.
“We’re thankful for the long-standing leadership from Bobby Brett, Mark Miles, and their strong partnership with the arena and will be eager to hear their plans to host this storied event,” Near said.
Chiefs’ General Manager Matt Bardsley expressed excitement in the announcement and his belief in the team to be able to host the event in 2026.
“This is a very exciting time for our players, staff, fans, organization, and the city of Spokane,” Bardsley said.
He emphasized the strength of their players, coaching and training/equipment staff that will help them to be one of the top teams in not just the WHL, but also the CHL.
“With the combination of our team, arena, organization, and community support, I know that as 2026 Memorial Cup hosts, we can provide a world class event with one of the top teams in the WHL and CHL,” Bardsley said.
On the same day the Chiefs announced their intention to bid for the 2026 Memorial Cup, the Everett Silvertips announced their new head coach. The Silvertips will be bringing in Steve Hamilton, who is no stranger to the WHL. In the past five seasons, Hamilton was the head coach of the Calgary Hitmen.
Like Kyle Gustafson will be for the Winterhawks, Hamilton will be the Silvertips’ sixth coach in franchise history.
He brings a lot of success with him from Calgary where he compiled a 165-152-40 record in regular season games. Calgary reached the second round of the WHL Playoffs in 2019 and 2023.
With that, it’s expected that exceptional player Landon DuPont will likely officially sign in the very near future.
Stephen Heisler 