Quote:
Originally Posted by 604flames
If the CHL brass really thought the Wheat Kings didn't deserve to be there, they could have replaced them, like they did with the Hamilton Steelhawks in the late 80s.
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It was actually the Dukes of Hamilton. They only won 11 games that year and declined the invite on their own.
Ironically, their replacement was the OHL finalist Kitchener Rangers who also made it to the Memorial Cup Final (and almost won, losing in OT).
One thing the OHL has done several times is hold a "Super Series". The top two teams in the league get a bye to the second round but instead of not playing for an entire round they face off against one another with the winner getting the chance to host the Memorial Cup. One particular year, the two teams who met in the Super Series met again in the OHL final. Oshawa won both times and the Memorial Cup only had three teams playing that year.
The drawback is less time to prepare for the tournament for the host.