The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour Ed Chynoweth's long service to junior ice hockey in Canada. The WHL champion earns a berth into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada's major junior hockey championship. The Kamloops Blazers and Medicine Hat Tigers have won the most WHL championships, with six each. The Spokane Chiefs were the first team to win the renamed trophy in the 2007–08 WHL season. The current (2025–26) holders of the Ed Chynoweth Cup are the Everett Silvertips.
History The Western Hockey League was founded in 1966 by seven teams from Saskatchewan and Alberta who were hoping to improve the quality of junior hockey in western Canada. Despite gaining approval from the governing bodies of both provinces, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) objected to the formation of the interprovincial league, refusing to sanction the circuit and suspending all players and officials who participated in the league from participation in any CAHA league or event. Declared an "outlaw league" by the CAHA, the WHL's founders chose to play on, though the league was ruled ineligible to participate in the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship.
The first President's Cup champion was the Moose Jaw Canucks in 1967. In 1971, CAHA reorganized the top level of junior hockey into two tiers, sanctioning the WHL as the top league in western Canada and one of three leagues that formed the Major Junior tier, along with the Ontario Hockey Association—now the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)—and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League—now the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Together, these three leagues form the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The 1971 WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings faced the Quebec Remparts in the 1972 Memorial Cup final, which nearly failed to materialize as the OHA and QMJHL initially refused to face the western champion. The Oil Kings were ultimately defeated by Quebec in an abbreviated best-of-three series, as opposed to the normal best-of-seven.The Memorial Cup, p.158 Three years later, in 1974, the Regina Pats became the first WHL champion to win the national title.
The New Westminster Bruins emerged as the first dynasty in WHL history, winning four consecutive championships between 1975 and 1978, along with two Memorial Cups in 1977 and 1978. In 1976, the Portland Winter Hawks became the first American-based team in the WHL, and six years later, the 1981–82 Winter Hawks recorded more firsts, becoming the first American team to win the President's Cup and the first American team to compete for the Memorial Cup.The Memorial Cup, p.204 One year later, the Winter Hawks won the 1983 Memorial Cup to become the first American champions, and the first to win the Memorial Cup without winning its own league title; Portland participated by virtue of hosting the tournament despite losing the WHL final to the Lethbridge Broncos.The Memorial Cup, p.208
On December 30, 1986, four members of the Swift Current Broncos—Scott Kruger, Trent Kresse, Brent Ruff, and Chris Mantyka—were killed when the team bus crashed outside Swift Current. The community rallied around the team, and less than three years later, the Broncos emerged as the top team in the CHL. Featuring Scott Kruger's younger brothers Darren and Trevor, the 1988–89 Broncos became the first team in WHL history to sweep their way through the playoffs, winning the President's Cup without losing a single game in the post-season.The Memorial Cup, pp. 236–237 The Broncos faced the host Saskatoon Blades in the 1989 Memorial Cup final, defeating their provincial rivals in the first all-WHL national championship. The Kamloops Blazers dominated the WHL in the early 1990s, capturing four league championships between 1990 and 1995 and three Memorial Cups to cap a period where WHL teams won seven Memorial Cup championships in a nine-year period between 1987 and 1995.
In 2007, the league renamed the championship trophy the Ed Chynoweth Cup in honour of Ed Chynoweth's long tenure with the league. Chynoweth had served as president of both the WHL and CHL, from 1972 and 1975 respectively, until leaving both posts in 1995 to form the Edmonton Ice. He remained with the franchise through its transfer to Kootenay and until his death in 2008. Chynoweth was described by OHL commissioner David Branch as being "the architect of the Canadian Hockey League as we know it today". Chynoweth was posthumously elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.
List of winners Number in parentheses denotes total championships won to that point
By season SeasonWinning teamFinalistGamesMemorial Cup result1966–67Moose Jaw Canucks (1) Regina Pats 4–1Ineligible1967–68Estevan Bruins (1) Flin Flon Bombers 4–0–1Estevan lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.1451968–69Flin Flon Bombers (1) Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2Ineligible1969–70Flin Flon Bombers (2) Edmonton Oil Kings 4–0Ineligible1970–71Edmonton Oil Kings (1) Flin Flon Bombers 4–1–1Edmonton lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.1591971–72Edmonton Oil Kings (2) Regina Pats 4–1Edmonton finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.1631972–73Medicine Hat Tigers (1) Saskatoon Blades 3–0–2Medicine Hat finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.1661973–74Regina Pats (1) Calgary Centennials 4–0Regina won Memorial Cup1974–75New Westminster Bruins (1) Saskatoon Blades 4–3New Westminster lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.1741975–76New Westminster Bruins (2) Saskatoon Blades 4–2–1New Westminster lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.1781976–77New Westminster Bruins (3) Brandon Wheat Kings 4–1New Westminster won Memorial Cup1977–78New Westminster Bruins (4) Billings Bighorns 4–0New Westminster won Memorial Cup1978–79Brandon Wheat Kings (1) Portland Winter Hawks 4–2Brandon lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.1911979–80Regina Pats (2) Victoria Cougars 4–1Regina finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.1971980–81Victoria Cougars (1) Calgary Wranglers 4–3Victoria finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.2021981–82Portland Winter Hawks (1) Regina Pats 4–1Portland finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.2061982–83Lethbridge Broncos (1) Portland Winter Hawks 4–1Portland won Memorial CupLethbridge finished fourthThe Memorial Cup, pp.210–2111983–84Kamloops Junior Oilers (1) Regina Pats 4–3Kamloops finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.2161984–85Prince Albert Raiders (1) Kamloops Blazers 4–0 Prince Albert won Memorial Cup1985–86Kamloops Blazers (2) Medicine Hat Tigers 4–1Kamloops finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.225Portland finished fourth1986–87Medicine Hat Tigers (2) Portland Winter Hawks 4–3Medicine Hat won Memorial Cup1987–88Medicine Hat Tigers (3) Kamloops Blazers 4–2Medicine Hat won Memorial Cup1988–89Swift Current Broncos (1) Portland Winterhawks 4–0Swift Current won Memorial CupThe Memorial Cup, p.238Saskatoon lost final1989–90Kamloops Blazers (3) Lethbridge Hurricanes 4–1Kamloops finished fourthThe Memorial Cup, p.2421990–91Spokane Chiefs (1) Lethbridge Hurricanes 4–0Spokane Won Memorial Cup1991–92Kamloops Blazers (4) Saskatoon Blades 4–3Kamloops won Memorial CupSeattle finished third1992–93Swift Current Broncos (2) Portland Winter Hawks 4–3Swift Current finished fourthThe Memorial Cup, p.2571993–94Kamloops Blazers (5) Saskatoon Blades 4–3Kamloops Won Memorial Cup1994–95Kamloops Blazers (6) Brandon Wheat Kings 4–2Kamloops won Memorial CupBrandon finished third1995–96Brandon Wheat Kings (2) Spokane Chiefs 4–1Brandon finished thirdThe Memorial Cup, p.2711996–97Lethbridge Hurricanes (1) Seattle Thunderbirds 4–0Lethbridge lost finalThe Memorial Cup, p.2771997–98Portland Winter Hawks (2) Brandon Wheat Kings 4–0 Portland won Memorial CupSpokane finished third1998–99Calgary Hitmen (1) Kamloops Blazers4–1Calgary lost final1999–2000Kootenay Ice (1) Spokane Chiefs 4–2Kootenay finished fourth2000–01Red Deer Rebels (1) Portland Winter Hawks 4–1Red Deer won Memorial CupRegina finished third2001–02Kootenay Ice (2) Red Deer Rebels 4–2Kootenay won Memorial Cup2002–03 Kelowna Rockets (1) Red Deer Rebels 4–2 Kelowna finished third2003–04 Medicine Hat Tigers (4) Everett Silvertips 4–0Kelowna won Memorial CupMedicine Hat finished third2004–05 Kelowna Rockets (2) Brandon Wheat Kings 4–1Kelowna finished fourth2005–06Vancouver Giants (1) Moose Jaw Warriors 4–0Vancouver finished third2006–07 Medicine Hat Tigers (5) Vancouver Giants 4–3 Vancouver won Memorial CupMedicine Hat lost final2007–08 Spokane Chiefs (2) Lethbridge Hurricanes 4–0Spokane won Memorial Cup2008–09 Kelowna Rockets (3) Calgary Hitmen 4–2Kelowna lost final2009–10 Calgary Hitmen (2) Tri-City Americans 4–1Brandon lost finalCalgary finished third2010–11 Kootenay Ice (3) Portland Winterhawks 4–1Kootenay finished third2011–12 Edmonton Oil Kings (1) Portland Winterhawks 4–3Edmonton finished fourth2012–13 Portland Winterhawks (3)Edmonton Oil Kings 4–2Portland lost finalSaskatoon finished fourth2013–14 Edmonton Oil Kings (2)Portland Winterhawks 4–3Edmonton won Memorial Cup2014–15 Kelowna Rockets (4)Brandon Wheat Kings 4–0Kelowna lost final2015–16 Brandon Wheat Kings (3)Seattle Thunderbirds 4–1Brandon finished fourthRed Deer lost semifinal2016–17 Seattle Thunderbirds (1)Regina Pats 4–2Seattle finished fourth2017–18 Swift Current Broncos (3)Everett Silvertips 4–2Swift Current finished fourthRegina lost final2018–19Prince Albert Raiders (2)Vancouver Giants 4–3Prince Albert finished fourth2019–20 WHL playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Ed Chynoweth Cup not awarded2020–21 WHL playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — Ed Chynoweth Cup not awarded2021–22Edmonton Oil Kings (3)Seattle Thunderbirds 4–2Edmonton finished fourth2022–23Seattle Thunderbirds (2)Winnipeg Ice 4–1Seattle lost final2023–24Moose Jaw Warriors (1)Portland Winterhawks 4–0Moose Jaw lost semifinal2024–25Medicine Hat Tigers (6)Spokane Chiefs 4–1Medicine Hat lost final2025–26Everett Silvertips (1)Prince Albert Raiders 4–1Everett lost final
By team TeamWonLostYears wonYears lostFinals appearancesKamloops Blazers631983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–951984–85, 1987–88, 1998–999Medicine Hat Tigers611972–73, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2024–251985–86 7Edmonton Oil Kings531970–71, 1971–72, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2021–221968–69, 1969–70, 2012–138New Westminster Bruins401974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78—4Kelowna Rockets402002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2014–15—4Portland Winterhawks3101981–82, 1997–98, 2012–131978–79, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2023–24 13Brandon Wheat Kings351978–79, 1995–96, 2015–161976–77, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2014–158Swift Current Broncos301988–89, 1992–93, 2017–18—3Kootenay Ice301999–2000, 2001–02, 2010–11—3Regina Pats251973–74, 1979–801966–67, 1971–72, 1981–82, 1983–84, 2016–177Seattle Thunderbirds232016–17, 2022–231996–97, 2015–16, 2021–225Flin Flon Bombers221968–69, 1969–701967–68, 1970–714Spokane Chiefs231990–91, 2007–081995–96, 1999–2000, 2024–255Calgary Hitmen211998–99, 2009–102008–093Prince Albert Raiders211984–85, 2018–192025–263Lethbridge Hurricanes131996–971989–90, 1990–91, 2007–084Red Deer Rebels122000–012001–02, 2002–033Vancouver Giants122005–062006–07, 2018–193Everett Silvertips122025–262003–04, 2017–183Victoria Cougars111980–811979–802Moose Jaw Warriors112023–242005–062Moose Jaw Canucks101966–67—1Estevan Bruins101967–68—1Lethbridge Broncos101982–83—1Saskatoon Blades05—1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1991–92, 1993–945Calgary Centennials01—1973–741Billings Bighorns01—1977–781Calgary Wranglers01—1980–811Tri-City Americans01—2009–101Winnipeg Ice01—2022–231
See also J. Ross Robertson Cup (OHL championship) President's Cup (QMJHL championship) List of Memorial Cup champions
Notes In some playoff years, ties were possible, and are noted in win–loss–tie format