The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion. Each year the champions from three CHL member leagues—the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), along with a host team—compete in the MasterCard Memorial Cup Tournament. The QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes are the defending champions, having won the 2012 tournament in Shawinigan, Quebec over the OHL's London Knights 2-1 in overtime.
Known originally as the OHA Memorial Cup, it was donated in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association in honour of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I. In 2010, the trophy was rededicated to honour all soldiers who died for Canada in any conflict. From its donation in 1919 until 1971, the Memorial Cup was awarded via a series of playoffs to the junior hockey champion of Canada. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association moved to the current tournament format in 1972 when it divided Junior A hockey into two tiers, naming the Memorial Cup as the championship of the Major Junior rank. Sixty teams across the CHL's three member leagues are eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup, representing nine provinces and five American states.
The Western Hockey League has won the title 18 times since the adoption of the three league tournament format in 1972. The Ontario Hockey League has 14 titles, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has 10. The Toronto Marlboros won the most titles with six. Among currently active teams, the Oshawa Generals and Regina Pats lead with four titles each.
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