Hosting the 2024 Memorial Cup is a big deal for the city of Saginaw
Later this week, the junior hockey world will descend near the thumb of Michigan’s lower peninsula as the city of Saginaw is ready to host the 104th Memorial Cup.
While some may not know, the city with a population just north of 42,000 has been part of the hockey scene for over two decades. Since 2002, it has been the home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit. The team itself does not have a winning pedigree, having never made it to the OHL final, but the organization and city organizers have put in a championship-level effort to make this a Memorial Cup to remember.
“I owe all that to [president] Craig Goslin and his staff for the work they put in,” Spirit general manager Dave Drinkill said in an interview with Daily Faceoff.
Drinkill, who came to Saginaw in 2015, said hosting the Memorial Cup is huge for the surrounding area.
“It’s phenomenal for the community, and the city of Saginaw itself to be able to host a tournament like this,” he said. “I grew up in Ontario…so I grew up my whole life following junior hockey. With the U.S. teams in the OHL, the market’s growing and it’s huge for our community. People are really embracing it.”
One of the biggest physical changes the team had to make to host was renovating the Dow Event Center, the Spirit’s home arena, which opened in 1972. Improvements included adding another locker room to fit four teams, enhancing the building’s lighting, adding four VIP suites, and general modifications to the arena’s infrastructure and media suite.
According to city officials, the project cost around $8.6 million.
The former Barrie Colts assistant GM also admitted the area, which includes touristy towns like Frankenmuth, Bay City, and Midland, was one of the big reasons the Canadian Hockey League chose to come to the Mitten.
“It’s such a beautiful region,” Drinkill said. “So many people, so much to do, so much to showcase. I think that the [OHL] and the CHL really embraced our bid process, what we have to offer, and how well it will be supported.”
The tournament will have plenty of activities outside of the games to attract both traveling fans and the locals. Starting with a parade on Thursday welcoming the Memorial Cup to Saginaw, there will be a Fan Fest, a Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit at the Dow Event Center’s Heritage Theatre, along with concerts, ball hockey and even a food truck rally in Frankenmuth.
The Elmvale, Ontario native admitted that despite a number of longtime Spirit supporters, the city as a whole had to learn how big this tournament truly is.
“At first, there was a lot more teaching, informing people around the community what this really means, and what it is,” Drinkill said. “Obviously, they follow the team, but the people that don’t follow the OHL closely [have to explain] how big this event is. Once they got their arms around it, and realized what is actually coming into the community, the economic impact, the number of tourists, it’s really growing, it’s special.”
Previous reports cite that Saginaw’s economy could bring in $25 million dollars from the estimated 17,000 visitors coming in from around the world.
On the ice, fans will be treated to an exciting tournament featuring the top major junior teams in the country. The OHL’s London Knights are coming off their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup win, making their first trip to the Memorial Cup since last winning it all in 2016. The Drummondville Voltigeurs are QMJHL champions for just the second time in franchise history, last winning the Gilles-Courteau Trophy—formerly known as the President’s Cup—in 2009. The Moose Jaw Warriors are making their first appearance in the tournament, having won the Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the first time as well.
Drinkill knew when Saginaw won the bid to host the Memorial Cup, he was going to have to do whatever it took to build a winning team. Like a lot of hosts in the tournament’s history, the Spirit went out and sold the farm, or at least most of it. They traded plenty of draft picks to acquire future NHL talents like Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks), and Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators).
“The hockey side of things is one part of the bid,” Drinkill said. “When you do the bid process, you have to show you have the draft [picks] to acquire star players to help win this tournament. We did that last year, made some tough decisions in means of acquiring the draft capital…then we used that draft capital to acquire Owen Beck, Jorian Donovan, NHL-caliber players.”
One of the players everyone is going to keep an eye on is forward Michael Misa. The 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospect was taken first overall by the Spirit in 2022 after being granted exceptional status. He has been one of the top players in Saginaw over the last couple of seasons. He concurs that the local interest has grown in the lead-up to the event.
“Our organization, our owners put a lot of fundraising and money into this,” Misa said. “So, it’s a huge deal for them. It’s going to be a great turnout. I think, overall, it should be a fun time here in Saginaw for people getting to experience it.”
Drinkill said he didn’t realize how much he would love the Great Lakes Bay Area when he joined the Spirit. He believes this tournament will show the outside world that it is not only a great area to live in but also an excellent place to play junior hockey.
“It’s my home now,” Drinkill said. “I’m very proud and passionate about this community. I just think it’s awesome that the rest of the hockey world knows about Saginaw, but now they’re going to really learn about Saginaw. I’ve always said it was like a hidden gem in the Ontario Hockey League…and now, it’s not going to be hidden.”
The opening game of the tournament will see the Spirit take on the Warriors on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.