| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Venue(s) | Ottawa Civic Centre (Ottawa, Ontario) |
| Dates | May 8–14, 1972 |
| Teams | 3 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) (1st title) |
The 1972 Memorial Cup occurred May 8–14 at the Ottawa Civic Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was the 54th annual Memorial Cup competition, organized by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to determine the champion of major junior A ice hockey. Participating teams were the winners of the Ontario Hockey Association, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the Peterborough Petes, Cornwall Royals and Edmonton Oil Kings. Cornwall won their 1st Memorial Cup, defeating Peterborough in the final game.
The format for the Memorial Cup finals was changed from an Eastern Canada versus Western Canada final, into a round-robin format involving three league champions. CAHA past-president Earl Dawson served as chairman of the 1972 event.[1][2] Coaches of the three league champions were opposed to the new format, and felt that a short series put extra pressure on players and lacked the environment of a home game during the playoffs.[3] Despite the initial criticism, the new format became financially viable and was retained until the 1983 Memorial Cup when a fourth team was added.[2]
- ^ "New Format For Memorial Cup". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba. February 14, 1972. p. 18. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Lapp & Macaulay (1997), pp. 160–164
- ^ Lake, Stuart (May 12, 1972). "Is change good idea?". Brandon Sun. Brandon, Manitoba. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
