In an interview on Sportsnet's 31 Thoughts podcast, QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau confirmed that his league will host next year's event. The event has not been held since 2019 - which was hosted by the Halifax Mooseheads - due to the pandemic.
"We're not able to have a Memorial Cup tournament this year so we've decided to keep the rotation in place," Courteau said. "It's awarded to the Q next year."
The 2020 edition of the tournament was supposed to be hosted by the WHL's Kelowna Rockets. This year was the OHL's turn, but the league wasn't able to name a host (it was down to either the Oshawa Generals or Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) thanks to COVID-19.
Before the pandemic, the only QMJHL teams to publicly express interest in hosting the event were the Saint John Sea Dogs and Quebec Remparts.
"We certainly have interest in hosting but given all that has gone on in the last 12 months, the landscape has changed considerably," said Sea Dogs President and General Manager Trevor Georgie.
"First and foremost, we have to understand what the requirements are. What does planning a Memorial Cup during a global pandemic look like? What are the financial commitments? What is our team on the ice going to look like? There are the usual factors, but there are also some new layers given the state of the world right now."
The Sea Dogs previously bid to host the 2012 Memorial Cup which ultimately was awarded to the Shawinigan Cataractes.
The Remparts have hosted the event twice since 2003 - both of which were played in their old digs, the Colisee Pepsi.
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