Hull Olympiques: The 'Piques attempt to give the name Hull a fond farewell, as they go to the Memorial Cup in the final year for the name, (Hull will be come the Gatineau Olympiques beginning next season, reflecting the amalgamation of the two cities). You can call this a surprise; you can call it an upset, but don't call the Olympiques' run to the Memorial Cup a fluke. Hull swept Rouyn-Noranda, lost only one game to Sherbrooke, swept Val D'Or, and finally upset Halifax in the Q-final. This dominance has come thus far through a high-powered offence and superb goaltending from Eric LaFrance. Hull was not predicted to be here, but the Olympiques have been dominant in the Q-playoffs. Whether Hull can retain its emotional high, and its chemistry throughout the tournament will be the key if they hope to bring the Memorial Cup back to the Quebec league for the second time in three years.

Kelowna Rockets: Marc Habscheid is no stranger to big tournaments. The coach of this year's silver medal Canadian junior team, Habscheid has his Kelowna Rockets in this year's Memorial Cup Tournament. Kelowna won the WHL regular season, and then ran through Vancouver, Spokane, Seattle, and finally Red Deer, winning a birth in this year's tournament. Kelowna started off the WHL playoffs with a 10-0 thrashing of Vancouver. The Rockets hope to start off the Memorial Cup with a similar effort. Kelwona also hopes to make it two in a row for the WHL, as the Kootney Ice were last year's winner. Typical of the WHL, Kelowna relies heavily on its skilled and solid defensemen, with a unit that may be the best in the CHL. They will also hope that having the best second half to the season will benefit them in Quebec City.

Kitchener Rangers: Momentum can be a powerful advantage. Just ask the Kitchener Rangers. With the Ottawa 67s slumping down the stretch in the OHL regular season, after being ranked number 1 for the better part of the year, the Rangers surpassed the powerful 67s in the standings, and then ousted them in the OHL final. Rather handily, in fact. If it were not for the outstanding goaltending of Lukas Mensator, the Rangers may have swept Ottawa. No small feat for a team that was concerned about losing two of its top players for greener pastures, the NHL. Steve Eminger and Derek Roy almost didn't play at all for Kitchener this year. Eminger spent time with the Washington Capitals and Derek Roy nearly made the Buffalo Sabres. Having both in the line-up will make coach Peter DeBoer's job that much easier.

Quebec Ramparts: Quebec is the host of this years' tournament. There are two possibilities for the host club; either their second round defeat to the Drakkar of Baie-Comeau will result in a fully rested squad, capable of knocking off some of the more fatigued teams, or a fully rusted squad, fighting to regain game-form. Either way, Quebec will be the underdog. The host has won this tournament before, however. The Ottawa 67s won the 1999 Memorial Cup as hosts, despite being knocked out in the OHL Easter Conference semi-final. The Ramparts look for a similar result, hopefully energized by the presence of part owner Patrick Roy at their practices this week.

Prediction: Kitchener had the toughest road to get here and will benefit greatly from the challenge. Having two NHL-ready performers in Roy and Eminger doesn't hurt either. Look for the Rangers to beat Kelowna in the final.