Patrick King

The Memorial Cup has showcased some of the finest junior teams in history, here are five of the best

The MasterCard Memorial Cup is the exclamation mark on each junior season.

It's the final tournament to declare junior hockey supremacy and over the years fans have been treated to some exceptional hockey. While the format has undergone many changes since it was first introduced in 1919, the passion and excitement generated from junior hockey's best is always on display.

Future Hall of Famers used the MasterCard Memorial Cup as an audition to greatness while some teams set many records on their way to capturing the national championship.

As with any list, picking the top five championship-winning teams was a difficult exercise. Here are the Top 5 as determined by sportsnet.ca columnist Patrick King:

The 1980-1981 Cornwall Royals

The Cornwall Royals were among the early dynasties in junior hockey following the MasterCard Memorial Cup format change in 1972. The Royals won their first national championship the very year the format changed, then captured junior hockey glory again in the 1980 tournament.

The 1980-81 campaign was Cornwall's final season in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League before moving over to the OHA. The defending champion Royals made sure it was a memorable final season.

A large core of returning players led the charge for Cornwall, which included Dale Hawerchuk, Scott Arniel, Marc Crawford, Robert Savard and goaltender Tom Graovac. The team also added another future star to the lineup that season named Doug Gilmour.

While the Royals may have been surprising victors in the 1980 MasterCard Memorial Cup, there was no denying the follow-up act was one for the ages. The Royals needed overtime in 1980 to beat Peterborough for its second MasterCard Memorial Cup, but left nothing to chance in 1981.

Cornwall was flat-out dominant in the 1981 tournament, which is even more surprising considering the other two participants, the Victoria Cougars and the Kitchener Rangers, were also loaded with future stars. Victoria posted what is still a CHL best 60 wins that season. The Rangers, meanwhile, would become a very recognizable team once Brian Bellows, Al MacInnis and Mike Eagles went on to the NHL.

If the Royals were complacent after already winning the MasterCard Memorial Cup the previous year, it didn't show when the tournament started. Cornwall scored on its first two shots en route to a 6-3 win over Kitchener in the tournament opener. The Royals then beat the Cougars 3-1 before losing its only game of the tournament to Kitchener the following night.

The tournament's three-team format with no semifinal meant the top two teams in round robin play would advance to the final. In the final round robin game, Cornwall could both gain entry into the final and eliminate Victoria with a win. Hawerchuk scored four times, including two shorthanded goals, to give the Royals an 8-4 win.

The Royals faced former coach Orval Tessier and his Rangers in the final. Tessier, who had guided Cornwall to its first MasterCard Memorial Cup in 1972, would not find a way to beat his former team in 1981 as the Royals triumphed in a one-sided final. Cornwall became just the fifth team to win back-to-back MasterCard Memorial Cup championships and the first three-time winner after the tournament format was introduced.

But it would be Cornwall's last hurrah. After capturing three MasterCard Memorial Cups in 10 years as a member of the QMJHL, the Royals joined the OHA the next season and never enjoyed much success since switching leagues. The team eventually relocated to Newmarket, Ont. in 1992 for a short stint before becoming the Sarnia Sting in 1994.

The 1972-1973 Toronto Marlboros

The Toronto Marlboros were not new to the MasterCard Memorial Cup by the time the format changed to a tournament. The franchise had captured five national championships in the years prior, yet still remained a dominant force in the 1970s.

The Marlies had been touted as the best team in Canada through much of the 1972-73 season with an impressive 47-7-9 record and finishing first in the OHA. They set a league record for goals scored that season with 416 and points with 103. Their 199 goals against were also the lowest in the league that season.

Toronto boasted several recognizable names with brothers Mark and Marty Howe, Wayne Dillon, Peter Marrin, current Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau and future Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Mike Palmateer. The Marlies were a balanced team that didn't rely on its top line solely for production. Seven players scored 70 or more points that season.

Although the cream of the OHA crop during the regular season, the Peterborough Petes kept it interesting in the final. The series went seven games before the Marlies won at Maple Leaf Gardens in front of what was then a league record 16,485 fans.

After a hard-fought final with the Petes, the Marlboros went to Montreal, Que. as the favourite of the three-team tournament. The Québec Remparts -- coached by Orval Tessier, who had won the MasterCard Memorial Cup the year before as the head coach of the Cornwall Royals -- and the Medicine Hat Tigers joined the Marlies for the tournament.

In the early years of the tournament format, the round robin saw the three teams play each other once each. The participants for the MasterCard Memorial Cup final were then decided by the win-loss record and then by the total-goal differential.

Unlike the previous year, each team won once and lost once. The Marlies, who had a plus-2 differential, would meet the Remparts, whose differential was a plus-1, in the final. The Remparts' only highlight of the final came early when they scored first. The Marlboros went on to win the most lopsided championship final 9-1.

The Marlies went on to win another MasterCard Memorial Cup two years later, which would be the franchise's last. The Toronto Marlboros hold the distinction of the most MasterCard Memorial Cup championships with seven, but the franchise relocated from Toronto to Hamilton in 1989 and now calls Guelph home.

The 1994-1995 Kamloops Blazers

In many ways, the Kamloops Blazers were both at the end and the beginning of a cycle when they won their first MasterCard Memorial Cup in 1992. The franchise had not only had a different head coach for their first championship, but an impressive core of players that were moving on to pro hockey.

The first group of Blazers to capture junior hockey glory included veterans such as Scott Niedermayer, Darryl Sydor and Corey Hirsch. Two years later, they were led by Darcy Tucker, Jarrett Deuling, Hnat Domenichelli, Tyson Nash and Nolan Baumgartner.

But as impressive as the first two groups may have been, the Blazers saved their best for last. The 1994-95 team had young players such as Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla following in the footsteps of veterans Tucker, Domenichelli and Nash.

As the season began, Tucker, Nash and current Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska aimed to become the first players to become three-time champions with the same franchise. This group, which is still considered as one, if not the best team assembled in Western Hockey League history, was also guaranteed a spot as hosts of the MasterCard Memorial Cup that spring.

Kamloops survived an early scare in the league final against Brandon. Although both teams were guaranteed a spot in the MasterCard Memorial Cup, the Wheat Kings became the first team all year to post back-to-back wins in Kamloops in Games 1 and 2. The Blazers, however, came back to win the series in six games.

With the tournament being hosted in Kamloops, the Blazers invited several of their alumni to join in the festivities. The Blazers won all three games of the round robin against the Wheat Kings, the Detroit Junior Red Wings and the Hull Olympiques.

It appeared as though a rematch of the WHL final would take place in the MasterCard Memorial Cup final, until Detroit found a way to win the semifinal over Brandon 2-1. The win came with some collateral damage, however, as Detroit defenceman Bryan Berard played through injury in the final.

There was little doubt the Blazers were on the verge of another MasterCard Memorial Cup shortly after the puck dropped. Kamloops scored five power-play goals and seven times in the second period alone to take the final 8-2. Huska, playing in his third MasterCard Memorial Cup, scored twice and had two assists en route to being named the game's first star.

The Blazers reached the WHL final again in 1998-99, but lost in five games to the Calgary Hitmen. It was the last time Kamloops won a playoff series. The once proud franchise continues to rebuild after winning three MasterCard Memorial Cups in four years.

The 2009-2010 Windsor Spitfires

There was very little doubt the Windsor Spitfires could repeat as MasterCard Memorial Cup champions when the 2009-2010 season began. The Spitfires boasted a lineup with 11 returning players from the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup and only bolstered their lineup through trades.

The team added Cam Fowler, Zack Kassian, Philipp Grubauer, Kenny Ryan, Marc Cantin and Stephen Johnston to a lineup which already included Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis, Adam Henrique, Greg Nemisz, Mark Cundari and Dale Mitchell to name a few. It was a team which was built with virtually no weakness and talent spread throughout its lineup.

But for all the talent on its roster, the Spitfires appeared to be in cruise control through much of the regular season. It was as if they were waiting and biding their time for the playoffs.

As a result, the Barrie Colts surpassed the Spitfires in the standings and finished first overall. While the Spitfires posted a strong season with 106 points, it was nine fewer than the previous year and wouldn't challenge any all-time records.

The stats may be deceiving, but Windsor had a team many believed to be the best ever built in junior hockey history.

The Spitfires stormed through the opening two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping both the Erie Otters and the Plymouth Whalers. The second-round series against Plymouth featured a battle of the top two prospects eligible for the NHL draft, Windsor's Hall and Plymouth's Tyler Seguin. Hall, who would become the first-overall pick that summer, had three goals and five assists while Seguin was held off the score sheet in each game.

The Kitchener Rangers shocked the junior hockey world when it won the first three games of the Western Conference final over the Spitfires. Windsor clawed back in a wildly unpredictable series to win in seven then swept the Colts in the league final.

The Spitfires gained momentum through the comeback against Kitchener and never relented. Windsor won all three round robin games over Brandon, Calgary and Moncton en route to a finals berth.

The host Wheat Kings, who had lost the opening game to Windsor 9-3, returned seeking redemption. Instead, the Spitfires dominated completely, winning the final 9-1 -- equaling the 1973 Toronto Marlboros for the most one-sided championship final in MasterCard Memorial Cup history. The Spitfires became just the eighth team in tournament history to win back-to-back titles.

The Spitfires nearly made it to a third-straight MasterCard Memorial Cup this season, but lost to the eventual champion Owen Sound Attack in the Western Conference final. Had they beat Owen Sound, they would have gained entry to the tournament regardless as the host Mississauga St. Michael's Majors awaited in the final.

The 2004-2005 London Knights

Any conversation about the best junior hockey team in the game's history begins, and usually ends, with the 2004-05 London Knights. If their star-studded lineup doesn't justify it, the numbers certainly do.

After setting an OHL record for most points in a season with 110 in 2003-2004, the Knights wound up being upset by the Guelph Storm in the Western Conference finals. The Knights, who would host the MasterCard Memorial Cup in 2005, went about proving their participation in the tournament was more than qualified with another record-setting performance.

The 1978-79 Brandon Wheat Kings opened that season going 29 games without a loss, a record many thought would never be broken. The 2004-05 Knights earned a lot of headlines the year of the NHL lockout by challenging the record and ultimately surpassing it.

Playing in front of a national television audience on Rogers Sportsnet, the Knights and Storm battled with history on the line in London's 30th game of the season. They were unable to beat Storm goaltender Adam Dennis, but it didn't matter. The league's most exciting 0-0 tie set the record and the Knights went on to win another before the Sudbury Wolves snapped the streak at 31 games.

London went on to beat its own league record for points in a season and still hold the OHL record with 120 points. Their 59 wins were also one short of the CHL record.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the team was its roster. The team was loaded with top-end talent starting with Corey Perry, Dylan Hunter, Rob Schremp, Dave Bolland, Danny Syvret, Dan Fritsche and Brandon Prust. The team also added Dennis, the goaltender that shut them out in their record-breaking game, to secure the back line.

The Knights lost just twice in the playoffs, once to Kitchener and once to Ottawa, to bring their playoff record to 16-2. It was the team's first and only OHL championship.

The 2005 MasterCard Memorial Cup was one of the most anticipated and exciting tournaments in league history. The Knights were joined by the Sidney Crosby-led Rimouski Océanic, the defending champion Kelowna Rockets and the surprising Ottawa 67's.

The tournament opener was perhaps the best game. Crosby scored early and his Océanic led 3-1 after one period until the Knights came back to tie. The game wasn't decided until overtime, however, and the goal came from an unlikely contributor in Knights defenceman Marc Methot.

The Knights won their next two games to earn the bye to the championship final with a perfect 3-0 round robin record. It was there that the best team met the best player with Rimouski and the next NHL superstar challenging.

Rimouski tough guy Eric Neilson attempted to intimidate the hosts and suckered Perry shortly after puck drop. The Knights scored on the ensuing power-play and never looked back en route to a 4-0 win.

Many great players would join London in the years that followed and continued the winning tradition, but none would match up to the high standards of the 2004-05 team. The Knights were named regular season champions four straight years, but are still searching for their second league and MasterCard Memorial Cup title.

Honourable mentions

Narrowing down a list of top teams is a hard exercise considering the many great champions throughout the MasterCard Memorial Cup's history. Some featured future Hall of Famers while others were led by less recognizable names. Here is a brief history on a few more teams that were edged out of the top five:

The 1981-1982 Kitchener Rangers

The Kitchener Rangers used their experience from losing in the MasterCard Memorial Cup final the year before with a strong showing in Hull, Que. The 1982 format still included three teams and a double round-robin with the team's records and goal differential determining which team would advance to the final.

The Rangers brought back an all-star group with the likes of Brian Bellows, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Jeff Larmer and third-time veteran Robert Savard. Kitchener defeated the Sherbrooke Castors 7-4 in the final to win the team's first MasterCard Memorial Cup championship.

The 1982-1983 Portland Winter Hawks

The Winter Hawks achieved a few firsts in 1983. It was the first time the host city's team was granted a spot in the tournament, and as thus, the first time four teams battled for the championship.

The Winter Hawks were led by an explosive group with Cam Neely, Ray Ferraro, Ken Yaremchuk, Alfie Turcotte, Richard Kromm and Jim Playfair.

Although the Winter Hawks lost to the Lethbridge Broncos in the WHL final, they made it count in the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The Winter Hawks not only became the first American-based team to win the championship, but also became the first non-league champion to capture it.

The 1995-1996 Granby Prédateurs

It had been 25 long and lean years since a Québec-based team won the MasterCard Memorial Cup. The Prédateurs not only had the pressure of a city, but from the league to end this long drought.

Future Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien was the bench boss of the Prédateurs, who finished with 114 points and 56 wins. This was not an all-star group, as its most recognizable names are Francis Bouillon, Jason Doig and Georges Laraque.

The Prédateurs, however, were an offensively-skilled group and won the MasterCard Memorial Cup over the hometown Peterborough Petes with a 4-0 triumph. The franchise relocated to Sydney, N.S. and became the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles a year later.