What does a CHL team need to have in order to host the Memorial Cup? A lot more than you'd think

Eyes rolled across Ontario last May when it was announced that the London Knights would host the Memorial Cup.

The decision meant the Ontario Hockey League team would host the event for the second time in nine years – and be guaranteed a third consecutive tournament appearance.

But no one was surprised. Although the most-hated team in the league, the Knights have undergone a major transformation since being purchased by former NHL stars Dale Hunter and Mark Hunter in 2000.

But what does it really take to host the Memorial Cup? Paul Wilson, president of the 2015 selection committee, laid out the criteria after announcing the Quebec Remparts would be next year’s host at a Montreal press conference:

“The committee’s decision ... is based on the fact that their bid had all the elements from top to bottom ... : great hockey team, good organizing committee and superior installations. Moreover, we felt that the whole community was behind the bid.”

Was London really the best choice on all fronts for this year’s contest? Let’s take a look at how they would have compared to their fellow bidders, the Barrie Colts and the Windsor Spitfires.

COMPETITIVE TEAM

As if losing to London in Game 7 of the 2013 championship final wasn’t enough of a heartbreaker for the Barrie Colts, the team's Memorial Cup bid was passed up in favour of the Knights the day after. While the Colts boasted a big returning lineup, it was obvious there would be sizable gaps left behind by forward Mark Schiefele, who played 63 games with the Winnipeg Jets this season, as well as goaltender Mathias Niederberger.

Two words to describe the Windsor Spitfires: bad timing. At the time of bidding,the team was struggling to rebuild their squad – a grueling task all junior hockey teams face every few years – after successful back-to-back Memorial Cup wins in 2009 and 2010 and a Western conference final loss in 2011. The Spits were swept in the first round by the Knights in 2012 and missed playoffs altogether in 2013.

Of the three bidders, the Knights were undeniably the best team on paper. During the bidding process, they were heading toward a second consecutive OHL championship.With the possibility of as many as 20 players of their star roster returning,including would-be first-round NHL draft picks Bo Horvat and Max Domi, it looked as though they could win a third time in 2014.

STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY

Although now among the smallest OHL rinks, the 4,200-seat Barrie Molson Centre was all the rage when it was constructed in the late 90s. One of the league’s first arenas with stadium seating, it served as a model for modern expansions. While the team still consistently turns out a decent crowd, tickets are not hard to come by and are often still available on game day.

Built in 2008, Windsor’s WFCU Centre is one of the most recently built arenas. To say it's an upgrade from the aging Windsor Arena the Spits called home for 33 years would be an understatement. The city spent a whopping $71-million on the6,500-seat facility, which is operated by the same company as London's Budweiser Gardens.

The average OHL rink today holds just over 5,000 seats, but the Bud Gardens holds almost double that. Although built for significantly less than the WFCU Centre, the arena – which opened in 2002 as the John LaBatt Centre – is second in size only to the Ottawa 67s’ TD Bank Garden with 9,090 seats and is often said to be the best in the league with amenities comparable to an NHL stadium.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND FINANCIAL GUARANTEE

Colts' owner Howie Campbell knew competing with London and Windsor would be a tough road. Lucky for him, Barrie city council approved a direct motion to support the bid – which was shockingly similar to what they’d asked the city for in their unsuccessful 2011 attempt – in which Campbell had asked for free use of city facilities.

“… if (other teams)can generate more revenue at this thing, if we have to pay for the cost to rent the facilities as well, then it just makes it even harder for us to come to the dollar amount we need to get to in order to host it,” he told the Barrie Examiner.

Convincing council to get on board was a more challenging feat for the other bidders: Windsor made no official financial agreement, but did sign the required letter of understanding with the team. The Knights, meanwhile, were denied municipal funding altogether because London had just funded the world figure skating championships. This didn’t stop the Hunter brothers from taking a leap of faith, one that could have backfired on weaker markets. The Saskatoon Blades, for instance, were forced to pay the CHL $668,000 after hosting in 2013 and failing to meet their $3.5 million profit guarantee despite having municipal and provincial backing. But London had already proven it could live up to its financial promises: their 2005 event had greatly exceeded its estimated revenue.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Although Barrie and Windsor were familiar with the bidding process – both had been unsuccessful in their attempts to get the 2011 event – The Hunter brothers had some serious advantages over the other owners: aside from being the biggest names (and arguably, the wealthiest) among team owners, they had already proven that London could be successful Memorial Cup hosts on and off the ice.

But Windsor had a strong resume as far as event hosting went, most notably the 2009 OHL All-Star Game and the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game. OHL commissioner David Branch was impressed with the finished products of the Spits’ ownership group that's comprised of Warren Rychel, Bob Boughner and Peter Dobrich.

“The work they’ve done . . . the attention to detail, the facility, the banquet luncheon – everything has been just outstanding,” Branch told The Windsor Star.“The imaging and the message for here is so very positive going forward toward other special events.”

It’s fair to say that’s gone down the drain in recent years, though. Perhaps most detrimental to the team’s attempt at bringing the event to Windsor is that it has recently made headlines for multiple assault allegations and was imposed a $250,000 fine for illegal recruitment before the 2012-2013 season. Not exactly the kind of stuff you want tied to the Memorial Cup.

Barrie,on the other hand, hasn’t been given the chance to host any of the top junior hockey events –but the force behind their 2014 bid seemed promising.Campbell had been pushing for the city to expand the BMC for months in order to attract bigger events, which is a strong factor the Colts have been overlooked the last two Georgia it’s been Ontario’s turn given that recent OHL hosts have been able to sell a minimum of 5,000 seats. Interestingly, they are the only team who decided to make details of their bid public after the fact.

Barrie Colts' 2014 Memorial Cup bid

VERDICT

Despite being deemed the ‘worst on-ice Memorial Cup host ever’, London was clearly the strongest candidate in every way. While many fans think the bidding competition comes down to which team has the biggest arena, it’s not the only factor. Most teams just don’t fit the criteria at the time of bidding. Sadly for every other team, the Hunter-era Knights seem to always fit.

Sarah Nolan is a homepage editor for Yahoo! Canada and a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow her on Twitter @sarahmarienolan.