Why a Memorial Cup format change for 2018 shouldn't be a one-off

The possibility of the Canadian Hockey League making a radical change to the Memorial Cup for the centenary championship is old news, of course. Nevertheless, when a change is proposed to a living legacy that is a quasi-public trust — and the Memorial Cup is that, unless all those pregame military tributes are just a pandering public relations exercise — the protocol calls for a period of consultation.

It is good, on the whole, that the CHL, based on what was reported during the Memorial Cup is at least having a discussion about changing it up for the 2018 tournament, especially if it wants to stand out in the Toronto marketplace come that time. The tournament format, love it or loath it, is in its 40s. The original playdown format was used for roughly half-century, so a next step in evolution is arguably just around the corner.

That being said, the notion of doing "[s]omething along the line of [U.S.] college basketball's March Madness," as the Toronto Star's Kevin McGran put it in a blog posted the day after the Oshawa Generals won the Cup,, is extremely problematic. Not to be too self-aggrandizing, but that concept actually laid bare an ulterior motive in this corner for exploring OHL Fanboys podcaster Brian Thompson's concept of hosting an in-season 'CHL Cup' tournament to decide the fourth team in the tournament instead assigning a host team.

The main motive of writing about that was that it seemed like an appealing idea and a way to generate interest in the touranment, notwithstanding the financial risk inherent in not having the host team. (The announced attendance of 7,002 for the Kelowna-Oshawa round-robin game in Quebec City, which was some 2,000 less than games involving Rimouski and/or Quebec, underlines how much the host team is still a vital part of the financial picture.) The subtext was the thought of the CHL might make a change that is dictated by TV.

The second part is fine. He/she who pays the piper calls the tune. That end doesn't justify doing something that is wrongheaded and/or overlooks the demands on teenaged players.

Diminish work of past winners

In the short run, with an eight- or 16-team one-and-done tournament, that means teams eliminated in the third — or second — round of league playoffs could have to stay in a holding pattern for weeks for the seek of playing one game. That might not jibe with putting players' needs first, since there is an opportunity cost of either losing time to rest, focus on schoolwork, prepare for the NHL combine join an AHL team for a playoff run, or even begin an off-season summer job.

A one-and-done format also doesn't necessarily determine the best team, but merely the most fortunate good-to-great team. That's not altogether bad, since people still watch the NCAA Tournament even if they pay basketball little mind the other 11 months of the year. However, to do that, or something else, just one time is also an affront to all the previous champions that went through four rounds involving 20-plus league playoff games before ramping back up for a one-week tournament. In other words, there's a chance of diminishing the credibility of the Memorial Cup for 2018 while doing a disservice to the blood, sweat and tears of past champions.

Of course, if any permanent change is adopted, people will adapt in time. Whatever the CHL does to the format, it should be made to last for a generation.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @naitSAYger.