They said they were ready. Now, they’ve got it.
The Halifax Mooseheads have been selected to host the 2019 Mastercard Memorial Cup, beating out the Moncton Wildcats.
Gallery: Halifax hockey fans fete the Mooseheads’ Memorial Cup win
The announcement was made Thursday afternoon by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and streamed live online to a cheering crowd at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
“We got it!!” Mayor Mike Savage wrote on Twitter.
The national championship will be played May 17-26, 2019, at the Scotiabank Centre and feature the host team Mooseheads, along with the champions of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.
“I am extremely pleased that the Halifax Mooseheads will be hosting the 2019 Memorial Cup. I would like to express my thanks to Premier McNeil and Mayor Savage for their support of our successful hosting proposal,” said Mooseheads majority owner, Bobby Smith, in a news release.
“Our team and our fans look forward to showcasing one of Canada’s great sporting events in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are ready!”
The campaign to bring the tournament to Halifax featured the slogan, “We’re ready,” which was used in a promotional video that showed fans holding a sea of signs at the arena in a rousing chant.
The 2019 Memorial Cup, which will be the tournament’s 101st year, will coincide with the Halifax Mooseheads’ 25th anniversary. The team won the trophy once in 2013 and Halifax has hosted the tournament once in 2000.
READ: Halifax Mooseheads name old face as new head coach
Meanwhile, in this year’s playoffs, Halifax defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in five games to move on to the second round for the first time since 2015.
On Friday, they will enter game 1 of their second-round match-up on home ice against the Charlottetown Islanders.
This year’s Memorial Cup takes place in Regina.