Hosting duties for the
Memorial Cup rotated among the three constituent leagues of the
Canadian Major Junior Hockey League CMJHL), since its founding in 1975. OMJHL commissioner
Tubby Schmalz announced that two
Northern Ontario cities were chosen by the OMJHL to co-host the
1978 Memorial Cup in
Sudbury and
Sault Ste. Marie. In February 1978,
Iona Campagnolo, the
Minister of State of Fitness and Amateur Sport released a report which claimed that junior hockey functioned in the best interests of professional hockey instead of the players. Schmalz said that the CMJHL would welcome a study into its player development programs, if given a say on selecting the inquiry members. He stated an inquiry would reveal that the CMJHL was doing its best for the welfare of the players. He highlighted its academic standards, and stated that the OMJHL fined players who missed classes, suspended players who did not keep up with the workload. The CMJHL expressed frustration with the 1978
WHA Amateur Draft being held during the junior season and four months earlier than the
1978 NHL Amateur Draft. The league was concerned that its players would be pursued for professional contracts while playing junior hockey, despite the names of drafted players not being released. The league considered having the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association use its
International Ice Hockey Federation membership as leverage to block
World Hockey Association (WHA) exhibition games against international teams and force the WHA to negotiate. In May 1978, Schmalz stated that the continued signing of junior-aged players by the WHA would mean forfeiture of a $150,000 bond paid as a promise not to sign players before November. ==Regular season==