The Memorial Cup trophy was established by Captain James T. Sutherland to honour those who died in service during World War I.

From its inception until 1971, the Memorial Cup was open to all Junior A teams in the country and was awarded following a series of league, provincial and regional playoffs culminating in an east–west championship.

The Memorial Cup is sometimes referred to as one of the hardest championships to win in hockey, factoring in the number of teams across the CHL's member leagues nationwide, the Memorial Cup tournament being played between their top teams, and the limited eligibility period for players to compete at the major junior level.

Jim (Sutherland) when he was overseas in the Great War (1914–18) and at the time, President of the Ontario Hockey Association (1915–17).

He wrote suggesting the trophy in memory of the boys who were killed in the war and no doubt a big part of the idea was instigated by his devotion to his beloved (Alan) Scotty Davidson*, who fell (June 6, 1915) with many other hockey players in the world conflict (including Capt.

The first tournament under this format was held in Portland, Oregon, and marked the first time that an American city hosted the Memorial Cup.

This format continues to be used to this day, with the honour of hosting the tournament rotated amongst the CHL's three member leagues.

The crowd started heckling after the replica cup broke apart, while the Chiefs took apart the trophy and shared it around with teammates.

[3] In 2012, defenceman Dillon Donnelly of the Shawinigan Cataractes accidentally dropped the trophy, significantly damaging it.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the 2020 (scheduled for Kelowna) and the 2021 (to be hosted by the OHL) editions of the tournament were cancelled as a result of provincial restrictions.