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Kelowna Rockets

Adventurer · ages 7–10Adapted from Wikipedia
A young ice hockey player wearing a Kelowna Rockets team jersey.

The Kelowna Rockets are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. They play in the B.C Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and have their home games at Prospera Place.

The Rockets have been very successful in the twenty-first century. They have won three regular season titles and four playoff championships. The team has also taken part in the Memorial Cup finals three times. They won the Memorial Cup once in 2004, when the tournament was held in Kelowna.

Franchise history

The Kelowna Rockets began in 1991 as the Tacoma Rockets in Tacoma, Washington. After playing four seasons there, the team moved to Kelowna, British Columbia in 1995 because the arena in Tacoma was not good for hockey. They played in a temporary arena for four years until their new home, Prospera Place, was finished in 1999.

The team became very successful after moving to Kelowna. They won their first regular season title in 2002–03 and their first league championship that same year. They reached the Memorial Cup tournament three times in a row from 2003 to 2005. In 2004, they won the Memorial Cup as tournament hosts. The team had some tough years, missing the playoffs in 2006–07 and again in 2018–19. They were supposed to host the Memorial Cup in 2020, but it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023–24, they returned to strong playoff form, winning their first series in seven years.

Team uniforms

Since 2000, the Kelowna Rockets have used a logo that shows a famous lake monster called Ogopogo from Okanagan Lake. One special jersey shows the monster's head. The team's colors are teal, red, copper, black, and white. These colors were first used when the team was in Tacoma. In 2009, the jerseys were changed a little to fit new design rules.

Season-by-season record

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

SeasonGPWLTOTLGFGAPointsFinishPlayoffs
1995–967235334–338309744th WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
1996–977235352–298314724th WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
1997–987233354–234253705th WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
1998–997225425–224282556th WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
1999–0072254043193228575th WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
2000–0172372375259240861st WestLost Western Conference quarterfinal
2001–02723126105257232774th B.C.Lost Western Conference final
2002–03725114613111641091st B.C.Won Championship
2003–0472472140185125981st B.C.Lost Western Conference final; Won Memorial Cup
2004–057245131222151391042nd B.C.Won Championship
2005–0672462213243188962nd B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal
2006–0772224152156245535th B.C.Out of playoffs
2007–0872382626248215842nd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2008–0972472113267178982nd B.C.Won Championship; lost Memorial Cup final
2009–1072353124224225762nd B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal
2010–1172432801240201871st B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal
2011–1272313146217242723rd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2012–13725216313091781081st B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal
2013–14725711043101821181st B.C.Lost Western Conference final
2014–15725313513051831121st B.C.Won Championship; lost Memorial Cup final
2015–16724820402692181002nd B.C.Lost Western Conference final
2016–1772452250283206952nd B.C.Lost Western Conference final
2017–1872432252280249931st B.C.Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2018–1968283262169209644th B.C.Lost tie-breaker game to Kamloops
Out of playoffs
2019–2063292833181208644th B.C.Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–2116105105853213rd B.C.No playoffs held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–2268422015250207902nd B.C.Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2022–2368273740210256584th B.C.Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2023–2468333041250258712nd B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal
2024–2568184442213311425th B.C.Did not qualify
2025–2668382163259220853rd B.C.Lost Western Conference semifinal; TBD - Memorial Cup

Championship history

The Kelowna Rockets have won many important trophies. They won the Ed Chynoweth Cup four times in 2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, and 2014–15. They also won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy three times in 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2013–14.

They have eight regular season division titles in 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2017–18.

In the WHL Championship series, they won in 2002–03 against the Red Deer Rebels, in 2004–05 against the Brandon Wheat Kings, in 2008–09 against the Calgary Hitmen, and in 2014–15 against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

In the Memorial Cup finals, they won once in 2004 against the Gatineau Olympiques, but lost in 2009 against the Windsor Spitfires and in 2015 against the Oshawa Generals.

NHL alumni

Many players who started with the Kelowna Rockets have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here are some of the players who made it to the NHL after their time with the team:

Pictures

Logo of the original Tacoma Rockets hockey club displayed in Olympia, WA.

Keep exploring

Kelowna
British Columbia
COVID-19 pandemic
National Hockey League

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Kelowna Rockets, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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