The Kelowna Rockets won't be playing in the Memorial Cup this year, let alone hosting it. This is a 2015 photo when the team was contending for the cup.
Image Credit: Aaron Bell/CHL Images
April 07, 2023 - 7:00 AM
The Kamloops Blazers will be hosting the Memorial Cup from May 26 to June 4 but could, theoretically, have been outbid by the Kelowna Rockets.
Kelowna was selected to host the 2020 Memorial Cup but it was cancelled due to COVID.
So, it was only natural that the team would bid at its next opportunity, which would have been for this year’s cup.
That bid was never filed because it was determined that its arena, Prospera Place, did not meet league standards to host the Memorial Cup.
Some of the building’s defects were documented in a 2021 ‘Prospera Place Building Assessment’ report by Stadium Consultants International.
That looked at the structure of the building and how it fit with modern arena standards.
READ MORE: 20 years later: How an arena helped transform downtown Kelowna
But, in the lead-up to the bidding deadline for this year’s Memorial Cup, the Rockets, Canadian Hockey League and GSL Holdings (which built and manages the arena) commissioned another study.
Called ‘Prospera Place Assessment Report,’ it was delivered in February 2022 and was done by Canadian Arena Services and VWMason Technology Consultants.
The idea was to see if Prospera Place was up to the newer league standards to host the Memorial Cup.
It found the arena fell short so no bid was made.
But, what those shortcomings were is being kept secret.
iNFOnews.ca requested the report from the City of Kelowna but was refused, being told that a Freedom of Information request was needed.
That request was duly filed and processed but the report is still not available.
“At this time, the city is unable to release this document,” city clerk Stephen Fleming said to iNFOnews.ca in an email. “A previous FOI request for the report is before the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. One of the sponsors, as is their right, has objected to the city’s decision to release most of the report, and their appeal is before the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.”
When asked which party was objecting, Fleming wrote “I don’t believe I can confirm this at this time.”
He doesn't know when the privacy commissioner will make a decision and whether all or part of the report will ever become public.
Prospera Place was built as a public private partnership between the City of Kelowna and GSL Holding over a term that expires in 2029.
In the meantime, Rockets General Manager Bruce Hamilton has told iNFOnews.ca that he wants to bid on the 2025 Memorial Cup but needs upgrades done first.
READ MORE: Kelowna Rockets eyeing 2025 Memorial Cup but still needs building upgrades
The Rockets were swept from this year’s playoffs in four straight by the Seattle Thunderbirds April 5.
The Blazers, on the other hand, took a 3-0 lead over the Vancouver Giants in their playoff round, outscoring their opposition 19-1.
As hosts, the Blazers are guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup.
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