The Chicoutimi Sagueneens defenseman Jordan Tourigny has been suspended for the rest of the 2026 Memorial Cup. The suspension came after a controversial incident involving Kitchener Rangers center and right winger Christian Humphreys.

The decision ends Tourigny’s tournament early and also brings his Canadian Hockey League (CHL) career to a close. The suspension was confirmed after review and a recommendation from NHL Player Safety, according to CHL reports.

The CHL said that Tourigny will miss all remaining Memorial Cup games after he stomped on Humphreys during Tuesday’s, May 26, round-robin game.

The league confirmed that both the Memorial Cup games committee and CHL executive council approved the NHL Player Safety recommendation for a tournament-ending suspension. 

The incident quickly became more serious because of the way it happened and the risk of injury. The play happened late in the third period during a battle along the boards.

Two Chicoutimi players and another Ranger were also in the mix, but the puck battle was primarily between Tourigny and Humphreys. After several seconds of grappling, Tourigny appeared to snap and stomped on Humphreys’ foot multiple times with his skate still on.

Kitchener head coach Jussi Ahokas strongly criticized Tourigny’s actions after the win.

“Well, that’s a cowardice play stomping with the skate. That’s not tough hockey, that’s coward hockey, that’s not in our values,” Ahokas said. “If someone does that, that’s cheap, cheapest thing (that) you can do in hockey for me.”

Officials first gave a five-minute major. They then reviewed the play, and Tourigny was handed the match penalty. Meanwhile, Humphreys left the ice and did not return.

Fallout, Reactions, and What Comes Next

According to Josh Brown of the Waterloo Region Record, Humphreys is still being checked after the incident. The Kitchener Rangers went on to reach the Memorial Cup final after a 3–2 win. They will now have the time to recover and prepare for the championship game.

For the Sagueneens, the suspension creates a big gap as they move into a tiebreaker or semifinal, depending on round-robin results.

For Tourigny, he was in his final CHL season. His next chapter awaits at Northeastern University for the 2026–27 season. He ends his junior career with 320 CHL games, marking a controversial finish.

After the incident, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League released a statement stating Tourigny deeply regrets the play, but also warned that online harassment and threats are not acceptable and have no place in hockey.

“Jordan Tourigny made a regrettable play in the third period, one he deeply regrets,” the statement read. “However, the hate, threats, and violent messages being directed at him on social media have absolutely no place in our game or in our community.

Now, both teams face different situations. The Kitchener are chasing a title, while Chicoutimi is reflecting on a costly moment that ended a player’s junior career abruptly.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar