Patrick King

Senators owner Eugene Melnyk also owns the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.

There was very little drama on hand when the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup host city was named on Monday.

The worst-kept secret in junior hockey was confirmed with the announcement of the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors as next year's host. The Majors make sense as hosts of the prestigious tournament for many reasons, but one can't help but wonder if this announcement was pre-determined.

Many sources suggested to sportsnet.ca that the league's decision to hand the hosting rights to the Majors was payback to team owner Eugene Melnyk, who also owns the NHL's Ottawa Senators. Melnyk revived the storied Majors franchise in 2000. He owned both the Majors and IceDogs four years ago and some sources indicated his financial support during a rough patch for the league served as his greatest bargaining chip in obtaining the tournament.

League commissioner David Branch denied the Majors were guaranteed hosting rights and said the integrity and background of the selection committee members ensures an even playing field throughout the process.

"(The selection committee is in place to) consider and judge the bid proponent is healthy for a lot of reasons. One is to diffuse any sort of speculation," Branch told sportsnet.ca. "They're all in the business of sport, highly regarded, impeccable integrity and clearly not familiar with any of the league politics or discussions we've had along the way. They simply judge the bids on the merits and deal with it as per the criteria and the four pillars."

The selection committee includes Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, former NHL executive Frank Bonello, senior vice president of the NHL's hockey operations Jim Gregory and NHL director of central scouting, E.J. McGuire. Branch and committee chair Gord Kirke are also non-voting members of the committee.

On the surface, there's a lot to like about Mississauga.

One of the four pillars when determining the host city, Branch said, is "the matter of facilities, which includes the arena facility, hotels, banquet arrangements, (and) award venues."

As a suburb of Toronto - Mississauga was clearly the leader in terms of transportation and accommodations for the tournament. Although travel would not have been a major concern for any of the other three bidding teams, none of them would have surpassed Mississauga's ease of transportation for fans and out-of-town media.

Mississauga's Hershey Centre is also well equipped to handle a tournament of this magnitude with a capacity of 6,000, including standing room.

Another one of the four pillars, Branch said, was the projected quality of the host team. It's hard to imagine the Majors have a better projected lineup than the current league champion Windsor Spitfires, who along with the Barrie Colts and Kingston Frontenacs made overtures for hosting the tournament.

Windsor stands to lose several veterans after this year's run, but is also prepared for another championship-caliber season. American goaltender Jack Campbell will join their program next season and comes with much hype after capturing gold at the world juniors as an underager. Campbell is also the consensus top goaltender available for the 2010 National Hockey League draft.

The Majors are primed for a run at the championship next season, but in many hockey circles aren't projected to be as strong as Windsor. The Colts and Frontenacs, meanwhile, don't project to be as deep as Mississauga or Windsor next season.

Regardless of whether the Majors had an inside track in hosting the event, the announcement is a major coup for the franchise. The Majors franchise was on life support before the move to Mississauga and one could argue it hasn't fared much better in its new digs.

The biggest reason for the fans' apathy towards the team revolves around the sale and move of the city's previous tenant, the IceDogs. The Majors and IceDogs were bitter Central Division rivals and twice met in the playoffs in 2004 and 2005.

Uprooting the IceDogs and moving their rivals into their former building was a risky proposition and one that was met with very little enthusiasm from fans. Junior hockey enthusiasts in Mississauga gave their new team the silent treatment with a near-empty building.

Each of the other three bidding franchises boasts more fan support than the Majors. Branch claimed the lack of passionate fan support was not a factor in the decision.

"It's not part of the criteria. It was never discussed," he said. "It's going to be interesting to see now what effect, if any, this may have in terms of the Majors or the Ontario Hockey League's presence in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) marketplace."

Branch said the league does not disclose any information pertaining to any of the bid applications, other than to say any of the four applicants would have "done a very good job hosting."

It's just questionable as to whether the Majors were the right choice for the right reasons.