2012 Memorial Cup Preview

The final ten days on the Canadian junior hockey season start tonight when the Memorial Cup gets under way in Shawinigan. The Memorial Cup, which has been awarded annually since 1919, was originally dedicated to the memory of those who had died during World War I. Recently it was rededicated to honour all who have died while fighting for Canada.

This season the host Cataractes will be joined by teams from Edmonton, London, and Saint John as they battle for title of Canadian Hockey League Champions. Not only did each of those teams manage to win 16 games to capture their respective league titles, each was also the regular season champion as well. That combination, which hasn't happened since 1979, should lead to some terrific hockey over the next week and a half.

For Edmonton this is the first time the city has been to the Memorial Cup since 1966 when the Oil Kings won their second title defeating the Oshawa Generals in last of a stretch of seven seasons starting in 1960 when they competed for the title every year. The format has changed since then and this year's Oil Kings team is an reincarnation of that old squad but the ultimate goal and the trophy remain the same.

After the jump you'll find a look at each of the team's in this year's tournament and a couple numbers that might be of interest as well.

Host Team: Shawinigan Cataractes - As the host team of the 2012 Memorial Cup the Shawinigan Cataractes will obviously have the hometown crowd behind them but after a strong regular season the Cataractes were upset in the second round of the QMJHL playoffs and will have been out of action for more than a month before their first game of the tournament. Rust could certainly be a factor for the Cataractes as they vie to become only the fifth non league winner to hoist the Memorial Cup since the change to the current format in 1983. Shawinigan almost did just that the last the last time they hosted the tournament in 1985 but lost to Prince Albert in the final game.

Regular season record: 45-16-3-4, 97 points and 2nd overall in the QMJHL

How they got here: After sweeping the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the opening round of the playoff the Cataractes were upset by Chicoutimi in a seven game series in the next round. Of course as the host the Cataractes were guaranteed a spot in this year's Memorial Cup as the host team.

By the numbers:

• +5 - The Cataractes goal differential in the second round series loss. Every game Shawinigan lost in the series was lost by a single goal (excluding the late empty net goal in Game 6). Shawinigan also had the second best goal differential in the QMJHL during the regular season as well. Don't let the early playoff exit fool you, this team can play as evidenced by the 24 weeks they spent ranked in the CHL Top Ten.
• 127 - The ISS rank of the Cataractes top scorer Anton Zlobin. The Moscow native finished with 40 goals and 76 points this season, good for fourth and 18th respectively in the QMJHL. This was Zlobin's second second in North America and he improved dramatically on the 45 points he recorded as a rookie last year. A strong performance in front of the big Memorial Cup audience might be enough to encourage a team to take a chance on him a little earlier than otherwise expected at the draft this June.
• 52.4% - Of the total ice time played by the Cataractes two main goaltenders, the percentage played by Alex Dubeau. In the playoffs the two headed approach continued with Dubeau getting starts and Gabriel Girard the other five. How Head Coach Eric Veilleux handles his goalies is one of the biggest questions of the tournament.

QMJHL Champions: Saint John Sea Dogs - The Saint John Sea Dogs return to the Memorial Cup this year, looking to repeat as Champions and follow in the footsteps of the Windsor Spitfires (2009 and 2010), Kamloops Blazers (1994 and 1994), and Medicine Hat Tigers (1987 and 1988) as the only back to back winners under the current format. With fourteen players on this year's squad who also played in for Saint John in last years playoffs the Sea Dogs have a lot of experience and are without a doubt one of the favourites this year.

Regular season record: 50-15-0-3, 103 points and 1st overall in the QMJHL

How they got here: Following the team's second straight regular season title the Sea Dogs demolished all comers as the cruised though the QMHJL playoffs en route to their second consecutive President's Cup championship. Along the way the Sea Dogs swept Cape Breton, Baie-Comeau, and Rimouski, and lost just a single game to Chicoutimi in the third round.