| 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 |
| Website | chl.ca/whl-rockets |
| Franchise history | |
| 1991–1995 | Tacoma Rockets |
| 1995–present | Kelowna Rockets |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 3 (2002–03,2003–04,2013–14) |
| Playoff championships | Memorial Cup 1 (2004) Ed Chynoweth Cup 4 (2003,2005,2009,2015) Conference Championships 4 (2002–03,2004–05,2008–09,2014–15) |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
TheKelowna Rockets are a Canadian majorjunior ice hockey team based inKelowna,British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C Division of theWestern Hockey League's Western Conference, playing their home games atProspera Place. The Rockets are the most successful WHL team in the twenty-first century, winning three regular season titles and four playoff championships. The team has also played in theMemorial Cup finals three times, winning once, in 2004, when Kelowna hosted the tournament.
The club was established in 1991 as theTacoma Rockets, playing inTacoma, Washington.[1] The team played four seasons in Tacoma under head coachMarcel Comeau, who was named the league and theCanadian Hockey League's coach-of-the-year for 1992–93, although the team won only one playoff round.[2] With theTacoma Dome offering poor sight lines for hockey and attendance low, the team was sold and relocated to Kelowna in 1995.[1] In Kelowna, the team spent its first four seasons playing atKelowna Memorial Arena while a new, purpose-built arena—Prospera Place—was being constructed; the team moved to the completed arena in 1999.[3]
Coached byMarc Habscheid and led on the ice by the likes ofJesse Schultz,Josh Gorges,Shea Weber, and goaltenderKelly Guard, the Rockets emerged as a contending team just after the turn of the century.[4] In 2002–03, the team won its firstScotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions with a 51-win, 109-point season. In the playoffs, they defeated theRed Deer Rebels in the final to win their firstPresident's Cup as league champions. At the2003 Memorial Cup, Kelowna advanced to the semi-final, which they lost 2–1 to theHull Olympiques. In 2004, the Rockets repeated as regular season champions before losing the Western Conference final to the expansionEverett Silvertips. However, Kelowna was able to participate in the2004 Memorial Cup by virtue of hosting the tournament. At the tournament, the Rockets surrendered only three goals in four games en route to the championship, avenging the previous year's defeat to the Olympiques in the final, with Guard being named tournament MVP.[5][6]
In 2004–05, the Rockets finished second overall in the standings to theKootenay Ice, who they defeated in the Western Conference final to advance to championship series.[7] There, the defeated theBrandon Wheat Kings for their second President's Cup in three seasons, and a berth in their third straight Memorial Cup tournament.[8] However, at the2005 Memorial Cup, the Rockets dropped three straight games and were eliminated.
The 2006–07 season saw the Rockets miss the playoffs for the first time in team history, but the team's struggles would be short-lived. The 2008–09 season saw the Rockets, led byTyler Myers,Jamie Benn, andTyson Barrie, advance to their third league final, where they defeated theCalgary Hitmen.[9] Benn led the2009 Memorial Cup tournament in scoring, and the Rockets earned a spot in the final; however, they lost 4–1 to theWindsor Spitfires.[10]
From 2013–14 to 2016–17, the Rockets advanced to four consecutive Western Conference finals. They won once, in 2015, moving on to defeat the Wheat Kings in the final.[11] Led by tournament MVPLeon Draistaitl, the Rockets made a third finals appearance at the2015 Memorial Cup, but lost 2–1 in overtime to theOshawa Generals.[12]
The Rockets missed the playoffs for a second time in 2018–19. The team was set to host the Memorial Cup for the second time in 2020; however, the tournament was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13] In 2023–24, led byTij Iginla, the Rockets won their first playoff series in seven years, defeating theWenatchee Wild before losing in the second round to thePrince George Cougars.[14]
Since 2000, the Rockets' uniforms have featured a logo based on the legendaryOkanagan Lake monster,Ogopogo. A third jersey design features the monster's head, taken from their shoulder patch design. The team's colours—carried over from their days in Tacoma—are teal, red, copper, black, and white.[3] In 2009, their jerseys were slightly modified to fit the Reebok Edge system.[15]
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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
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 72 | 35 | 33 | 4 | – | 338 | 309 | 74 | 4th West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 1996–97 | 72 | 35 | 35 | 2 | – | 298 | 314 | 72 | 4th West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 1997–98 | 72 | 33 | 35 | 4 | – | 234 | 253 | 70 | 5th West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 1998–99 | 72 | 25 | 42 | 5 | – | 224 | 282 | 55 | 6th West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 1999–00 | 72 | 25 | 40 | 4 | 3 | 193 | 228 | 57 | 5th West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2000–01 | 72 | 37 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 259 | 240 | 86 | 1st West | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 31 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 257 | 232 | 77 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 51 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 311 | 164 | 109 | 1st B.C. | WonChampionship |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 47 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 185 | 125 | 98 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference final;WonMemorial Cup |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 45 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 215 | 139 | 104 | 2nd B.C. | WonChampionship |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 46 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 243 | 188 | 96 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2006–07 | 72 | 22 | 41 | 5 | 2 | 156 | 245 | 53 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2007–08 | 72 | 38 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 248 | 215 | 84 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2008–09 | 72 | 47 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 267 | 178 | 98 | 2nd B.C. | WonChampionship; lostMemorial Cup final |
| 2009–10 | 72 | 35 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 224 | 225 | 76 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2010–11 | 72 | 43 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 240 | 201 | 87 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 6 | 217 | 242 | 72 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 52 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 309 | 178 | 108 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 57 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 310 | 182 | 118 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 53 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 305 | 183 | 112 | 1st B.C. | WonChampionship; lostMemorial Cup final |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 48 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 269 | 218 | 100 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 45 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 283 | 206 | 95 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 280 | 249 | 93 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 28 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 169 | 209 | 64 | 4th B.C. | Lost tie-breaker game toKamloops Out of playoffs |
| 2019–20 | 63 | 29 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 181 | 208 | 64 | 4th B.C. | Cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 53 | 21 | 3rd B.C. | No playoffs held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 42 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 250 | 207 | 90 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 27 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 210 | 256 | 58 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 33 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 250 | 258 | 71 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2024–25 | 68 | 18 | 44 | 4 | 2 | 213 | 311 | 42 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
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List of Rockets' alumni to play in theNational Hockey League (NHL):[16]
