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	Derrick Martin
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 major junior ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. 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. Kelowna hosted the tournament that year.

Team History

How the Rockets Started

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

In Kelowna, the Rockets first played 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 a Top Team

After the year 2000, the Rockets became a very strong team. They were coached by Marc Habscheid. Key players included Jesse Schultz, Josh Gorges, Shea Weber, and goalie Kelly Guard. In the 2002–03 season, the team won its 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 that year, they beat the Red Deer Rebels in the final. This win gave them their first President's Cup, making them league champions. At the 2003 Memorial Cup, Kelowna made it to the semi-final game. They lost that game 2–1 to the Hull Olympiques.

In 2004, the Rockets were regular season champions again. But they lost the Western Conference final to the Everett Silvertips. Even so, Kelowna got to play in the 2004 Memorial Cup because they were hosting the tournament. At this tournament, the Rockets played amazing defense. They only allowed three goals in four games. They won the championship, beating the Olympiques in the final. Their goalie, Kelly Guard, was named the tournament's best player.

In the 2004–05 season, the Rockets finished second overall. 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 straight Memorial Cup tournament. However, at the 2005 Memorial Cup, the Rockets lost all three of their games and were out.

Continued Success

The 2006–07 season was the first time the Rockets missed the playoffs. But they quickly bounced back. In the 2008–09 season, the Rockets reached their third league final. Players like Tyler Myers, Jamie Benn, and Tyson Barrie led the team. They defeated the Calgary Hitmen to win the championship. Jamie Benn was the top scorer at the 2009 Memorial Cup. The Rockets made it to the final game but lost 4–1 to the Windsor Spitfires.

From 2013–14 to 2016–17, the Rockets made it to the Western Conference finals four years in a row. They won the championship once in 2015, beating the Wheat Kings again. Led by Leon Draisaitl, who was the tournament MVP, the Rockets played in their third Memorial Cup final at the 2015 Memorial Cup. They lost a close game 2–1 in overtime to the Oshawa Generals.

The Rockets missed the playoffs again in 2018–19. Kelowna was supposed to host the Memorial Cup for the second time in 2020. However, the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2023–24 season, led by Tij Iginla, the Rockets won their first playoff series in seven years. They beat the Wenatchee Wild before losing in the second round to the Prince George Cougars.

Team Uniforms

Since 2000, the Rockets' uniforms have shown a logo based on the famous Okanagan Lake monster, Ogopogo. A special third jersey design features the monster's head. This design comes 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 changed a little to fit the Reebok Edge system.

• 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 around 1995–2000.

Season Records

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

This table shows how the Kelowna Rockets have done each season. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Championships and Awards

The Kelowna Rockets have won many important championships and awards:

• Memorial Cup: 1 win in 2004
• Ed Chynoweth Cup (WHL Championship): 4 wins in 2003, 2005, 2009, and 2015
• Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (Best Regular Season Record): 3 wins in 2002–03, 2004, and 2014
• Regular Season Division Titles: 8 wins in 2001, 2002–03, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2018

WHL Championship Series Wins

• 2002–03: Won 4–2 against the Red Deer Rebels
• 2004–05: Won 4–1 against the Brandon Wheat Kings
• 2008–09: Won 4–2 against the Calgary Hitmen
• 2014–15: Won 4–0 against the Brandon Wheat Kings

Memorial Cup Finals Appearances

• 2004: Won 2–1 against the Gatineau Olympiques
• 2009: Lost 1–4 against the Windsor Spitfires
• 2015: Lost 1–2 against the Oshawa Generals

NHL Players from the Rockets

Many players who once played for the Kelowna Rockets have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here is a list of some of them:

See Also

• List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia