The Medicine Hat Tigers have a chance to do something that hasn't been done in 11 seasons: Bring a Memorial Cup trophy to the Western Hockey League. However, this isn't their first rodeo. The Tigers won back to back championships in 1987 and 1988, defeating the Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires respectively.

There has been one attempt since then, though it didn't go the way they expected. What happened the last time Medicine Hat made their way to one of junior hockey's biggest stages?

Vancouver, 2007

The Tigers were fresh off a WHL championship win over the Vancouver Giants, a hard-fought seven game series that saw the orange and black come back from a 3-2 series deficit and finish off the Giants in a double overtime thriller. Career Tiger Brennan Bosch scored the eventual winner, sealing Vancouver's fate.

However, Medicine Hat would not get the last laugh.

The 2007 Memorial Cup was hosted in Vancouver, so it was inevitable that the two teams would meet again. In their lone round robin matchup, the Tigers squeaked out a 1-0 victory. Now-former NHL journeymen Derek Dorsett, Kris Russell, and David Schlemko all combined for the game's only goal and Matt Keetley turned aside 29 shots for the shutout.

The Giants ended up pumping the now-defunct Plymouth Whalers by a score of 8-1 in order to secure their spot in the championship game, and they were not going to let the opportunity go to waste. Longtime Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm scored the only goal for the Tigers, but Vancouver ended up with a 39-15 shot advantage and skated their way to a 3-1 win and a Memorial Cup title in their hometown.

Nearly 20 years later, the only piece of that Medicine Hat team that remains? Head coach Willie Desjardins. Surpassing the 500-win mark this season, the former NHL bench boss is ready to take his team to the promised land and secure a championship in Rimouski.

With several NHL-drafted prospects (and several more making their way to the podium in the next couple seasons) the Tigers are primed to do battle with teh powerhouse London Knights, who are coming off repeat OHL championship winning seasons of their own.

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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Meet The 2025 Memorial Cup Opponent: The Rimouski Océanic

For the first time since 2007, the Medicine Hat Tigers are Memorial Cup-bound. While Medicine Hat has a stacked team full of talent, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be filled with powerhouse teams who have had very impressive playoff runs of their own. One of those teams is the London Knights, who will represent the OHL this year. 

The Knights are making their second-straight appearance in the Memorial Cup and will be looking for a better result than last year. While London cruised through the round-robin, they fell to the Saginaw Spirit in the Final, denying their quest for a third Memorial Cup Championship. With a large portion of the 2023-24 team returning this season, the Knights will be motivated to ensure a repeat of the 2024 Memorial Cup does not happen. 

When looking at London's roster, it is hard to ignore the number of NHL-drafted prospects they have assembled. The Knights have 12 players tied to NHL teams and two prospects who will hear their names called at the 2025 NHL Draft. Their roster also includes a familiar player to WHL fans, former Saskatoon Blades goaltender Austin Elliott, who has been almost unbeatable since moving to the OHL.  

Shutting down London is going to be a problem, as they have hardly any weaknesses. The Knights went 16-1 in the post-season, while outscoring their opposition 91-43. From even-strength play to the work of their special teams, it is going to be a significant challenge to slow down this London team. 

As for players to watch, there are a handful of names that pop up. San Jose Sharks defensive prospect Sam Dickinson has 31 points in 17 playoff games this year, while Kasper Halttunen, who the Sharks also drafted, has eight goals in his last three games. In the end, though, all eyes will be on Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, as his 39 points in 17 games this post-season were the sixth-most in franchise history. 

Ultimately, the Tigers will need to play a near-perfect game if they are going to take down the Knights at the 2025 Memorial Cup. Medicine Hat will also be at a slight disadvantage in the round-robin game, as their matchup against London is the tail end of a back-to-back. Based on each team's depth and talent levels, the Tigers and Knights might be on a collision course to meet not just in the round-robin, but also in the final. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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