Question: In what year did the Memorial Cup champion team that began their operations in 1917 win their first Memorial Cup ?

text: List of Memorial Cup champions
Champions and challengers -- 1919 to 1971
The 1926 Calgary Canadians were Alberta 's first Memorial Cup champion . [ 2 ] The Memorial Cup was presented to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association ( CAHA ) in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association ( OHA ) in remembrance of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I . [ 3 ] It was to be awarded to the junior hockey champions of Canada in an east versus west format . The eastern Canadian champion , who from 1932 won the George Richardson Memorial Trophy , met the western Canadian champion , winners of the Abbott Cup . [ 4 ] The first championship featured the University of Toronto Schools against the Regina Patricia ( now the Pats ) in a two-game , total-goals series . The University of Toronto Schools won the title easily , defeating Regina by scores of 14–3 and 15–5 to win the series with a total score of 29–8 . [ 2 ] The head-to-head competition for the Memorial Cup has changed formats several times . The CAHA moved to a best-of-three format in 1925 as the first team to win two games was declared the champion . [ 5 ] In 1938 , the series was increased to best-of-five , [ 6 ] and to best-of-seven in 1943 . [ 7 ] There were two exceptions to these formats . The 1949 final between the Montreal Royals and the Brandon Wheat Kings required an eighth game after the third game ended in a tie . [ 8 ] The 1971 final between the Quebec Remparts and the Edmonton Oil Kings was nearly canceled outright in the wake of controversy surrounding the inclusion of the previously outlawed Western Canada Hockey League ( WCHL ) as the western league was allowed to use more over-age players and received a larger travel allowance from the CAHA . The differences were resolved , and an abbreviated best-of-three series was held in Quebec City . [ 9 ] While the Memorial Cup was not intended to be a challenge trophy , a team has twice challenged the defending champion for the cup . After the Toronto Canoe Club defeated the Selkirk Fishermen in 1920 , they were met with a challenge by the Fort William Beavers for the trophy . Toronto agreed , and easily defeated Fort William 11–1 in a single game playoff . [ 10 ] The second challenge occurred a half-century later , in 1970 . The WCHL 's Flin Flon Bombers challenged the Montreal Junior Canadiens . Considered an outlaw league by the CAHA , WCHL teams were not permitted to participate in the Memorial Cup playoffs . The Junior Canadiens declined the challenge . [ 11 ] TG = total goals . The team that scored the most goals in two games won the championship . From 1925 onward , the total represents the number of games won .
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) champion. Each year the champions from three CHL member leagues - the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), along with a host team - compete in the MasterCard Memorial Cup Tournament. The QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are the defending champions. Known originally as the OHA Memorial Cup, it was donated in 1919 by the Ontario Hockey Association in honour of the soldiers who died fighting for Canada in World War I. In 2010, the trophy was rededicated to honour all soldiers who died for Canada in any conflict. From its donation in 1919 until 1971, the Memorial Cup was awarded via a series of playoffs to the junior hockey champion of Canada. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association moved to the current tournament format in 1972 when it divided Junior A hockey into two tiers, naming the Memorial Cup as the championship of the Major Junior rank. Sixty teams across the CHL's three member leagues are eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup, representing nine provinces and four American states. The Western Hockey League has won the title 19 times since the adoption of the three league tournament format in 1972. The Ontario Hockey League has 17 titles, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has 12. Since the creation of the Memorial Cup, the Toronto Marlboros have won the most titles with seven. Among currently active teams, the Oshawa Generals lead with five titles, the latest one in 2015, while the Regina Pats follow with four.
Cup Champion Result Runner-up Host location ( s )
1919 University of Toronto Schools 29-8 ( TG ) Regina Patricia Toronto
1920 Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers 15-5 ( TG ) Selkirk Fishermen Toronto
1921 Winnipeg Junior Falcons 11-9 ( TG ) Stratford Midgets Toronto
1922 Fort William Great War Vets 8-7 ( TG ) Regina Patricia Winnipeg
1923 University of Manitoba Bisons 14-6 ( TG ) Kitchener Colts Toronto
1924 Owen Sound Greys 7-5 ( TG ) Calgary Canadians Winnipeg
1925 Regina Pats 2-0 Toronto Aura Lee Toronto
1926 Calgary Canadians 2-1 Queen 's University Winnipeg
1927 Owen Sound Greys 2-0 Port Arthur West End Jrs Toronto
1928 Regina Monarchs 2-1 Ottawa Gunners Toronto
1929 Toronto Marlboros 2-0 Elmwood Millionaires Toronto
1930 Regina Pats 2-0 West Toronto Nationals Winnipeg
1931 Elmwood Millionaires 2-1 Ottawa Primroses Toronto and Ottawa
1932 Sudbury Cub Wolves 2-1 Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg
1933 Newmarket Redmen 2-0 Regina Pats Toronto
1934 Toronto St. Michael 's Majors 2-0 Edmonton A.C . Athletics Winnipeg
1935 Winnipeg Monarchs 2-1 Sudbury Cub Wolves Winnipeg
1936 West Toronto Nationals 2-0 Saskatoon Wesleys Toronto
1937 Winnipeg Monarchs 2-1 Copper Cliff Redmen Toronto
1938 St. Boniface Seals 3-2 Oshawa Generals Toronto