Soakin’ in the Tubb: One last look at the 105th Memorial Cup

By JAMES TUBB on June 7, 2025.

The Medicine Hat Tigers were the talk of the 2025 Memorial Cup in Rimouski.

From shuttle drivers speaking through broken English, to visiting media from across Canada, everyone wanted to talk Tigers and the orange and black.

Of course, Medicine Hat entered the tournament full of stories to follow, with Harrison Meneghin’s courageous playoff effort, Gavin McKenna’s stardom and his future and the return of Andrew Basha and Cayden Lindstrom to the lineup – all were a common conversation starter once people saw any kind of Medicine Hat connection.

After a trio of wins to sweep the round robin, chatter picked up to talking about Ryder Ritchie’s four goals and the bigger question: Can a WHL team finally get atop the CHL mountain? Even with four days off between their 3-1 round-robin win over the London Knights and the eventual finals on Sunday, the Tigers remained a conversation leader.

At the end of the 10-day tournament, with the Knights celebrating their third Memorial Cup championship, a strong focus remained on the Tigers with a crowded scrum around head coach Willie Desjardins and an emotional Oasiz Wiesblatt following the loss. After a tournament of questions, wonders and conversations, all that remained was a simple statement from those who had observed the team all tournament,

They’ll be back.

It would be the second time in franchise history the Tigers made back-to-back Memorial Cups since winning two straight tournaments in 1997 and 1998. That would give themselves the same opportunity the Knights worked all season for – redemption.

London lost in the dying seconds of the final game at the 2024 Memorial Cup, falling to the host Saginaw Spirit. They dedicated a season’s of work to getting back to the Memorial Cup final to not only finish the story, but redeem themselves and win for the overagers from the season prior. The Tigers’ trio of graduates this year, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, Mat Ward and Harrison Meneghin, are a group that should garner the same response from next year’s team.

The path will be harder, the target on the Tigers back this season as one of the best teams in the WHL gets bigger entering the season as defending champions. They’ll look to become the first WHL champion to make the playoffs in the next season since the Prince Albert Raiders who had clinched a playoff spot in the COVID-cancelled 2020 playoffs after winning it all in 2019.

The Tigers will look to get to Kelowna next May, a desire already set in place by being snubbed as hosts for the 2026 Memorial Cup (a decision that seems to look worse by the day). The opportunity for vindication will only add fuel to a fire that has already been burning since that fateful afternoon in November where dreams of hosting the illustrious tournament were crushed.

“They can pick who hosts it, but they can’t pick who wins it,” Desjardins said on Nov. 27, 2024.

Rimouski Reflections

While there are some disagreements with the CHL and what they value in Memorial Cup hosts, they nailed the 2025 selection with Rimouski. The beautiful city of roughly 50,000 rose to the occasion and brought a community feel to the tournament. Friendly volunteers willing to help with directions or offer their favourite spots to eat to those from across Canada.
The shuttle service was fantastic, available to teams and media to navigate the city with just a phone call. This scribe took 33 shuttles, staying 20 minutes out of town, and was the only way our coverage was made possible. All the vehicles were either hybrids or all-electric vehicles, the go-to in Quebec, shuttle drivers said.
The Océanic may have been the first team eliminated but those Rimouski fans were second to none in their home rink. They hung on every chance, doing their best to will Rimouski into a win. Even with the OcÃ©anic eliminated, there was a strong contingent of local fans at the final game, a noticeable majority cheering for the Tigers.
It was a head-snapping realization mid-way through the opening game of the Memorial Cup, but QMJHL rinks have no regulation when it comes to the kind of music played, confirmed by QMJHL media members. Swear words flying was unexpected but admittedly led to what was a great atmosphere at Sun Life Coliseum all tournament long.
After seeing Rimouski and how they hosted the Memorial Cup, how their arena was set up, Championship Headquarters outside the rink for fan festivities and what it was like navigating the city, Medicine Hat would’ve killed it next year. Absolutely killed it as hosts. It’s a damn shame.
And yes, the poutine was trés, trés bien!

James Tubb is sports reporter with the Medicine Hat News. He can be reached at jtubb@medicinehatnews.co