Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear and the Everett Silvertips opened the 2026 Memorial Cup with a historic victory.
Bear, a six-foot, 177-pound winger who was drafted in the first round and 13th overall by Detroit in 2025, scored the winning goal in a 5-3 victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia.
It was Everett’s first Memorial Cup game and first victory in the franchise’s 22-year history.
The 19-year-old Bear recorded 36 goals and 41 assists for 77 points in 53 regular-season games with the Silvertips this year.
In the playoffs, he added seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 18 games.
Everett, based in Everett, Washington, is trying to become the fourth U.S.-based franchise to win the Memorial Cup, emblematic of Canadian Hockey League supremacy.
Portland won in 1983 and 1998, Spokane in 1991 and 2008 and Saginaw in 2024.
Memorial Cup schedule
Friday: Kitchener 5, Kelowna 0
Saturday: Everett 5, Chicoutimi 3
Sunday: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi, 9 p.m.
Monday: Everett vs. Kitchener, 9 p.m.
Tuesday: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener, 9 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna vs. Everett, 9 p.m.
Thursday: Tie-breaker (if necessary), 9 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 9 p.m.
Sunday: Final, 7 p.m.
(All games on The Hockey Network)
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wings prospect Carter Bear scores winner in Memorial Cup opener
Reporting by Detroit News staff and wires / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
