Guelph Storm want to make bicentennial bid for Memorial Cup

The rink at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph. (May 10, 2019)

The Guelph Storm has big plans as the city repares to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

According to the City of Guelph’s website, the city wad founded on April 23, 1827, by a British development firm known as the ‘Canada Company’ after they acquired the land from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

To celebrate the centuries, the local Ontario Hockey League team is hoping to host the Memorial Cup in 2027.

“The year 2027 marks the City’s bicentennial anniversary and provides a compelling and unique context for a Memorial Cup bid,” a staff report coming to Guelph’s Committee of the Whole on July 8 reads.

The Memorial Cup is one of the most sought-after trophies in junior hockey. It was first awarded in 1919 to honour people who had died fighting in the First World War. Each year the top teams from the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and the host team compete for the cup. The tournament is typically held during two weeks in May and attracts thousands of fans from across the country.

The Guelph Storm is asking the city to provide a one-time grant of $600,000 if the team is successful in securing the event. They also want a commitment of up to $100,000 of in-kind fees at the Sleeman Centre related to ice rental costs, licensing fees and facility staff requirements.

The staff report recommends the funding, if granted, could come from the Municipal Accommodation Tax Reserve. However, the report also notes there may not be enough money in the reserve at the time to cover the full cost.

“The MAT reserve is projected to be $565,000 by the end of 2027. The request for $700,000 for financial investment and in-kind support would put the reserve into a deficit until the end of 2029. Committing to overspending on this reserve would prevent any other investment or funding program for other tourism projects from now to 2030,” the report said.

The report also notes the Memorial Cup requires at least six separate hotel locations for teams, officials and fans to stay at during the event. If most of the participants stayed within Guelph, the report states the city could stand to collect $12,000 through the Municipal Accommodation Tax.

Although the Guelph Storm has never won the Memorial Cup, two other teams from Guelph have been champions: the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters in 1952 and the Guelph Platers in 1986.