Kelowna Rockets facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kelowna Rockets
City	Kelowna, British Columbia
League	Western Hockey League
Conference	Western
Division	B.C.
Founded	1991 (1991)
Home arena	Prospera Place
Colours	Teal, Red, Copper, Black, White
Owner(s)	Bruce Hamilton
General manager	Bruce Hamilton
Head coach	Kris Mallette
Championships	Memorial Cup 1 (2004) Ed Chynoweth Cup 4 (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015) Conference Championships 4 (2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2014–15)
Website chl.ca/whl-rockets
Franchise history
1991–1995	Tacoma Rockets
1995–present	Kelowna Rockets

The Kelowna Rockets are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. They play in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Their home games are held at Prospera Place. The Rockets are known for being one of the most successful WHL teams in the 2000s. They have won three regular season titles and four playoff championships. The team has also reached the Memorial Cup finals three times, winning the championship once in 2004 when Kelowna hosted the tournament.

Team History

Starting in Tacoma

The team first started in 1991 as the Tacoma Rockets. They played in Tacoma, Washington. The team played four seasons there. Their coach, Marcel Comeau, was even named the league's best coach in 1992–93. However, the team only won one playoff round during that time. The arena in Tacoma wasn't great for hockey, and not many fans came to games. Because of this, the team was sold and moved to Kelowna in 1995.

Moving to Kelowna

When the team arrived in Kelowna, they played their first four seasons at Kelowna Memorial Arena. This was while a new, special arena called Prospera Place was being built. The team moved into the new arena in 1999.

Becoming Champions

After the year 2000, the Rockets became a very strong team. They were coached by Marc Habscheid and had great players like Jesse Schultz, Josh Gorges, Shea Weber, and goalie Kelly Guard.

In the 2002–03 season, the team won their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. This award goes to the team with the best regular season record. They won 51 games and earned 109 points! In the playoffs, they beat the Red Deer Rebels to win their first President's Cup. This means they were the league champions. At the 2003 Memorial Cup, Kelowna made it to the semi-final game but lost.

In 2004, the Rockets won the regular season title again. Even though they lost in the Western Conference final, they still got to play in the 2004 Memorial Cup. This was because Kelowna was the host city for the tournament. At the tournament, the Rockets played amazing! They only let in three goals in four games and won the championship. They beat the same team that had defeated them the year before. Their goalie, Kelly Guard, was named the tournament's best player.

The 2004–05 season was also great. The Rockets finished second overall in the standings. They beat the Kootenay Ice in the Western Conference final. Then, they defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings to win their second President's Cup in three seasons. This earned them a spot in their third Memorial Cup tournament in a row. However, at the 2005 Memorial Cup, the Rockets lost all three of their games and were out.

Continued Success

The Rockets missed the playoffs for the first time in 2006–07. But they quickly bounced back! In the 2008–09 season, the team, led by players like Tyler Myers, Jamie Benn, and Tyson Barrie, reached the league final again. They defeated the Calgary Hitmen to win another championship. Jamie Benn was the top scorer at the 2009 Memorial Cup tournament. The Rockets made it to the final game but lost to the Windsor Spitfires.

From 2013–14 to 2016–17, the Rockets made it to the Western Conference finals four times in a row. They won the championship once in 2015, beating the Wheat Kings again. With Leon Draisaitl as the tournament's best player, the Rockets reached the 2015 Memorial Cup final for the third time. They lost a close game in overtime to the Oshawa Generals.

The Rockets missed the playoffs again in 2018–19. They were supposed to host the Memorial Cup for the second time in 2020. But the tournament was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023–24, led by Tij Iginla, the Rockets won their first playoff series in seven years. They beat the Wenatchee Wild but then lost in the next round to the Prince George Cougars.

Team Uniforms

Since the year 2000, the Rockets' uniforms have featured a special logo. It's based on the famous Okanagan Lake monster, Ogopogo. One of their alternate jerseys even has the monster's head, taken from their shoulder patch. The team's colors are teal, red, copper, black, and white. These colors were also used when the team was in Tacoma. In 2009, their jerseys were slightly changed to fit a new system called Reebok Edge.

• Early Rockets logos
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  The Tacoma Rockets logo from around 1991–1994.

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  The first Kelowna logo, similar to Tacoma's, from 1995–2000.

Famous Players

Many players from the Kelowna Rockets have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here are some of them:

See also

• List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia

Images for kids

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  J. T. Barnett played for the Rockets during the 2012–13 season.