Kelowna Rockets
| Kelowna Rockets | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Kelowna, British Columbia |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | B.C. |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Home arena | Prospera Place |
| Colours | Teal, Red, Copper, Black, White |
| Owner(s) | Bruce Hamilton |
| General manager | Bruce Hamilton |
| Head coach | Jason Smith |
| Championships |
WHL Champions 2003, 2005, 2009, 2015 Memorial Cup Champions 2004 |
| Website | KelownaRockets.com |
| Franchise history | |
| 1991–1995 | Tacoma Rockets |
| 1995–present | Kelowna Rockets |
The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place.
From 2002 to 2009, Kelowna competed in the Memorial Cup tournament. The Rockets captured the Memorial Cup for the first time in franchise history in 2004, the same year they were selected to host the event. In 2015, the Rockets returned to the Memorial Cup a fifth time, losing to the Oshawa Generals in the championship final.
Established in 1991, the team began as the Tacoma Rockets, previously playing in Tacoma, Washington, and playing their home games at the Tacoma Dome. Prior to the 1995–96 season, the team relocated to Kelowna, playing their home games at the city's Memorial Arena. Following the 1998–99 season, they moved into their then-new home arena, Prospera Place. The team's logo pays tribute to the famed Ogopogo monster, of the Okanagan Lake.
The 1991–92 season marks the first season of the Rockets in Tacoma, Washington. Playing in one of North America's largest hockey arenas, the Tacoma Dome, the expansion Rockets blasted their way to one of the most memorable inaugural seasons in the 25-year history of the WHL. Attendance of 14,975 and 15,240 at two heated contests against their then arch rival, the Seattle Thunderbirds, assisted the Rockets in chalking up the highest per game average for a first year expansion team under CHL oversight.
...
Wikipedia