Corey Perry remembers playing on what felt like hockey鈥檚 biggest stage well before reaching a Stanley Cup final.
The year was 2005. The NHL was locked out. Rabid fans in Canada were starved for high-level hockey.
Perry鈥檚 powerhouse London Knights, meanwhile, were hosting a Memorial Cup headlined by 17-year-old Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Oc茅anic, captivating fans across the country.
鈥淚t was pretty much on the North American stage,鈥� said Perry, now 40 and chasing the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. 鈥淣o NHL, and Sid being in Rimouski. And then our team, the season that we had.
鈥淲ell worth the watch because there's nothing else going on.鈥�
This year鈥檚 Memorial Cup, which began last Friday and runs through Sunday, marks the 20th anniversary of the famous 鈥�05 tournament in London, Ont.
And the parallels between the two editions are striking.
London鈥檚 back 鈥� and once again, coach Dale Hunter鈥檚 got a team stacked with NHL prospects. Rimouski鈥檚 back too, this time as host.
And while Crosby stole the spotlight 20 years ago, the star this year is 17-year-old Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers, another phenom expected to take the NHL by storm in a couple of seasons.
The 2025 tournament also carries a stellar field 鈥� with fierce competition in tight round-robin matchups through Monday 鈥� but the 2005 Memorial Cup still resonates two decades later.
鈥淚n 04-05, there were some special players on that ice who are still playing,鈥� Hunter said.
The defending champion Kelowna Rockets 鈥� featuring future Hall of Fame defenceman Shea Weber 鈥� were also in the tournament alongside the Ottawa 67鈥檚, led by Hall of Fame coach Brian Kilrea.
"Everyone was looking for entertainment, and junior hockey was on the map,鈥� Kilrea said.
Now 90, Kilrea still recalls what undid his team that year.
鈥淭hat Sidney Crosby, we just couldn't stop him,鈥� he said. 鈥淲henever he had the puck, he was beating somebody and either setting up or scoring a goal. He was phenomenal.
鈥淓veryone knew that you had to stop Sidney Crosby. Well, we didn't. London did."
Crosby led the tournament with six goals and 11 points, including a three-goal, two-assist performance in a 7-4 win over Ottawa in the semifinal.
London then slowed 鈥淪id the Kid鈥� down with a 4-0 victory in the championship game, after edging Rimouski 4-3 in an overtime thriller to begin the event.
The 2005 Knights were named the Canadian Hockey League鈥檚 鈥淭eam of the Century鈥� in 2018. London began the season on a 31-game unbeaten run on the way to 59 wins and 120 points, Ontario Hockey League records that still hold up today. Eleven players later made the NHL.
鈥淪pecial team, pretty special group of guys,鈥� said Perry, the Memorial Cup MVP who returned to London and reunited with his former teammates for a 20th anniversary celebration in March. 鈥淎 lot of NHL players ended up playing on that team and had great careers.鈥�
With no NHL and Crosby as the star attraction, the event became a spectacle for fans and the media.
Kelowna Rockets owner Bruce Hamilton remembers a party atmosphere in London, inside and outside the arena.
Spectators packed the 9,000-capacity John Labatt Centre, now Canada Life Place, and thousands more watched a big screen outdoors.
鈥淚t was a major event there, and I remember the whole downtown was alive,鈥� said Hamilton, who鈥檚 also the Rockets鈥� president and GM. 鈥淭hey had the big tent outside, there was a street party that was going on, and it was packed every day.鈥�
Rimouski forward Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Crosby鈥檚 linemate, can still picture the steady stream of cameras and microphones flooding the dressing room after games and practices.
"I was still in junior, but I felt like we were professional with all the big TV (networks),鈥� said Pouliot, who played 192 NHL games. 鈥淚 had never seen anything like this before.鈥�
PLAYING WITH SID
Pouliot had grown accustomed to the buzz after two seasons with Crosby, instantly the QMJHL鈥檚 best player when he entered the league at 16.
鈥淗e's playing a pre-season game and scoring hat tricks and having like five or six breakaways,鈥� Pouliot said. 鈥淩ight away, we knew he was the real deal.鈥�
Crosby led the league with 135 points in 2003-04 before exploding for 168 in 62 games in 2004-05, finishing 52 points ahead of second-leading scorer Dany Roussin, his Rimouski linemate.
Pouliot said Crosby鈥檚 physical strength and burst of speed were next-level, but what stood out most was his maturity and commitment to detail, including his superstitious pre-game rituals.
No one was allowed to touch No. 87鈥檚 stick before games. Crosby also followed a step-by-step process for putting on equipment, including some gear he still holds onto.
鈥淚 don't know if it was his jock or his underwear, but I'm sure he's still wearing this, or somehow kept it 20 years after,鈥� said Pouliot, who still keeps in touch with the Pittsburgh Penguins captain.
Despite Crosby鈥檚 intensity at the rink, Pouliot said he was an easygoing guy who liked to crack jokes.
鈥淗e's very humble, that was a plus,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou never know with those superstars, how they act off the ice, but this guy was really humble and a really amazing guy.鈥�
鈥� With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
