Saginaw Spirit Become First Michigan Team to Win Memorial Cup

For the first time in history, a CHL team from Michigan is the Memorial Cup champion

For the first time ever, a Canadian Hockey League team based in Michigan has won the Memorial Cup.

The Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League won Sunday night's Memorial Cup championship against the London Knights, 4-3. This was also the Spirit's first appearance in the Memorial Cup.

Vancouver Canucks forward prospect Josh Bloom won the game by scoring the 4-3 goal with less than 22 seconds left in the game. He picked up a pair of assists on goals by Montreal Canadiens forward prospect Owen Beck, both of which came in the first period. He led Saginaw with four goals during the tournament, earning him MVP honors.

Beck's second goal came on the power play after London forward and Blues prospect Landon Sim illegally checked Spirit defenseman Zayne Parekh in the head, receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct penalty. Parekh is one of the top defense prospects in the upcoming NHL draft.

After a 3-0 goal by Spirit forward and Nashville draft pick Joey Willis, the Knights battled all the way back to tie it midway through the third period, with goals from Sharks forward prospect Kasper Haltunnen, Maple Leafs forward prospect Easton Cowan and 2024 draft eligible defenseman Sam Dickinson. Cowan led his team with three points, while Dickinson and Flyers defense prospect Oliver Bonk had two each.

While the Spirit's offense gave them an early lead and some wiggle room, it was their defensive play that stunned the heavily favored Knights. Saginaw allowed just 13 shots, blocking a number of attempts and limiting space for the Knights to shoot from. Senators prospect Jorian Donovan, Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio and Parekh were some of the leaders of that effort on the blue line. 

Perhaps familiarity gave the Spirit time to figure out how to defend so well against the Knights. Sunday's title bout was the 12th time the teams had faced off, with London winning seven prior to that tilt. That record included the conference finals of the OHL playoffs, where Saginaw took London to six games and became the only team to beat the Knights on their run to a near-undefeated championship. 

But Bloom's late heroics gave Saginaw the last laugh, as well as its first ever championship.

"To me, us, London, two best teams probably in the Canadian Hockey League to be honest," Spirit coach Chris Lazary told reporters in his postgame press conference. "They took an OHL championship off us and there was zero chance they were taking the Memorial Cup on our home ice, zero chance."

In addition to being the first Michigan team to win the Memorial Cup, the Spirit are just the third American team to win the CHL championship. Only the 1991 Spokane Chiefs and the 1998 Portland Winter Hawks share that claim.

The only other Michigan team to ever make the championship was the 1995 Detroit Jr. Red Wings, who lost to the Kamloops Blazers in an 8-2 blowout. Those Blazers were led by stars in Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla and Darcy Tucker. The Jr. Red Wings — the same organization that has moved twice and become the OHL's Flint Firebirds — were coached by current Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice and led by 1995 first overall pick Bryan Berard.