Newfoundland and Labrador’s dream of hosting Canadian junior hockey’s crown jewel will have to wait. On July 6, 2026, the Canadian Hockey League named the Moncton Wildcats and the Québec Remparts as the two finalists to host the 2028 Memorial Cup, ending the Newfoundland Regiment’s bid to bring the event to St. John’s for the first time in the province’s history.
The Regiment had entered the race with ambition. On June 5, 2026, the club formally submitted its intent to bid, proposing the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s as the host venue. It was one of four QMJHL clubs vying for the tournament, which rotates among the three Canadian major-junior leagues. Had the bid succeeded, it would have marked the first Memorial Cup ever staged in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The pitch rested on a remarkable debut season. In its inaugural 2025-26 campaign, the Regiment posted a 38-22-3-1 record, reached the second round of the playoffs, and — most tellingly — averaged more than 5,300 fans per game, a QMJHL record for a first-year franchise. That groundswell was the heart of the argument. “What this community did in year one was extraordinary,” club president Glenn Stanford said. “The people of Newfoundland and Labrador embraced this team and this game with full force.”
Stanford framed the bid as a matter of timing and history. “In the history of the Memorial Cup, this province has never had the honour of hosting this championship,” he said when the bid was announced. “The time has never been more right, the momentum has never been stronger, and we are confident that St. John’s is ready to deliver a Memorial Cup that will be remembered for generations.”
When the finalists were revealed without the Regiment among them, Stanford acknowledged the disappointment but signalled the club was not retreating. He said the organization believed the timing had been right, and added that it was already working on something it was “very excited about,” with details to come — a hint that St. John’s may yet pursue a future edition.
The process is not fully finished for the two finalists. Moncton and Québec must submit formal written bids, deliver presentations and host site visits, with an independent five-person site selection committee evaluating each. The CHL expects to announce the winning host city by the end of October 2026. “The Memorial Cup holds a special place in our game because of the players, fans, volunteers, and communities who bring it to life each year,” CHL president Dan MacKenzie said.
For context, the 2027 Memorial Cup is set for Guelph, Ontario, from May 20-30, 2027. The 2028 event will now go to either New Brunswick or Quebec. Newfoundland’s bid fell short, but the strength of the Regiment’s first year — record attendance, a deep playoff run and a province that showed up in force — leaves little doubt that St. John’s has announced itself as a serious future candidate.
Sources: CHL — finalists announced · NTV · CHL — Regiment intent to bid · TSN
