City of Guelph on board to take its shot at hosting 2027 Memorial Cup

The Guelph Storm are hoping to host the 2027 Memorial Cup, and as CTV’s Ashley Bacon reports, the city is also showing its support.

The City of Guelph is onboard with a potential bid to host the 2027 Memorial Cup.

The Guelph Storm announced earlier this summer their intention to submit their name to host the coveted tournament.

The Memorial Cup is one of the most sought-after trophies in junior hockey. It was first awarded in 1919 to honour people who had died fighting in the First World War. Each year, the top teams from the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, as well as the host team, compete for the cup. The tournament is typically held over two weeks in May and attracts thousands of fans from across the country.

If Guelph secures the 2027 event, it would also coincide with the city’s 200th anniversary.

“I think this is our last, and possibly our best, chance to bid for the event,” Matt Newby, vice president of business operations for the Guelph Storm, said. “It’s just outgrowing buildings that are the size of the Sleeman Centre. There’s a number of fantastic arenas in our league that have already been built where cities and teams haven’t hosted.”

The city previously hosted the tournament in 2002, but they weren’t able to skate away with the trophy.

Funding request

The Guelph Storm asked the city to provide a one-time grant of $600,000 if the team’s bid is successful. They also wanted a commitment of up to $100,000 in-kind fees at the Sleeman Centre related to ice rental costs, licensing fees and facility staff requirements.

At a meeting on Tuesday, council approved the team’s request. The money will come from the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT).

“We use [the tax] for a tourism draw for tourism events and things like that,” Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said. “We’re expecting to use up to $600,000 from that envelope that could go towards this event if it’s successful in its bid.”

A report from city staff noted there may not be enough money in the reserve at the time of the tournament to cover the full cost of the event.

“The MAT reserve is projected to be $565,000 by the end of 2027. The request for $700,000 for financial investment and in-kind support would put the reserve into a deficit until the end of 2029. Committing to overspending on this reserve would prevent any other investment or funding program for other tourism projects from now to 2030,” the report said.

The report also noted the Memorial Cup requires at least six separate hotel locations for teams, officials and fans to stay at during the event. If most of the participants stayed within Guelph, the report states the city could stand to collect $12,000 through the Municipal Accommodation Tax.

Guthrie hoped the city’s big anniversary will give the bid a bit of a boost.

“We’re pulling out all the stops that we can,” he explained. “The alignment with the 200th anniversary for our birthday, for the city, it’s just all fit so well. We’re going to try our very, very best.”

Local competition

The Guelph Storm are not the only local team hoping to host the cup. The Niagara IceDogs, who play out of St. Catharines, have previously expressed interest in hosting the event after an unsuccessful 2024 bid.

“The next time the Memorial Cup comes to Ontario is 2027 and I am confident that the IceDogs and the Niagara will be ready,” the team’s owner at the time, Darren DeDobbelaer, told the Canadian Hockey League in 2023. St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe also publicly supported the idea in the past.

Meanwhile, there is speculation the Kitchener Rangers may also be eyeing a bid, but there has not been an official announcement so far.

The deadline for submissions is in August.