Two iconic trophies will be in Kamloops this coming weekend, with both the Memorial Cup and Grey Cup spending some time in the Tournament Capital.
The Memorial Cup, of course, will be here as the Kamloops Blazers host the 2023 tournament, with games running at Sandman Centre from May 26 to June 4.
The Memorial Cup, awarded to Canada’s major junior hockey champion, was originally known as the OHA Memorial Cup and was donated by the Ontario Hockey Association in March 1919, in remembrance of the soldiers who served for Canada in the First World War.
The Memorial Cup will arrive at the Tk’emlúps Powwow Arbour on Thursday, May 25, at about 4 p.m. There, the Cup and the four teams competing in the tourney — Kamloops, Seattle, Peterborough and Quebec — will be part of the Arrival of the Cup Ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Grey Cup — awarded annually to the Canadian Football League champions and named in honour of Albert Grey, also known as the Earl Grey, then the country's governor general, who donated the trophy — will be at OK Tire Kamloops, 1303 Salish Rd. in the Mount Paul Industrial Park on the Tk’emlúps reserve, on Saturday, May 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Cup is visiting during the store’s 31st anniversary celebration. Fans can visit to get their photo taken with the well-known Cup, which was commissioned in 1909 at a cost of $48 (about $1,600 in today’s dollars).