Soakin’ in the Tubb: Kelowna will be good hosts, what could have been in Medicine Hat

By JAMES TUBB on November 30, 2024.

The City of Medicine Hat and the Tigers went all-in for a once-in-a-lifetime bid on the 2026 Memorial Cup. Sadly, on the other side of that bid was a Canadian Hockey League closing a door which this storied franchise may never open again.

Wednesday’s announcement of the 2026 Memorial Cup hosting rights going to the Kelowna Rockets was a gut punch to say the least in Medicine Hat, leaving a number of questions that likely won’t ever be answered.

Medicine Hat’s bid committee was not given any reasons why this city was not selected, nor what Kelowna had which the Hat did not. They, alongside the three other ‘runner-ups’ – the Spokane Chiefs, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Brandon Wheat Kings – were left to shuffle papers together.

An interview request from the News to the CHL about the committee’s decision was initially granted but only if questions were submitted ahead of time. Another indication of a lack of desire to give answers.

The News declined.

In B.C., with a watch party organized ahead of the announcement, the Rockets were informed they won the bid unanimously by the five-person committee, according to Black Press Media’s Kelowna Capital News. Kelowna’s president and general manager Bruce Hamilton, who also serves as chairman of the WHL board of governors, told the Kelowna Capital News they never mentioned the 2020 tournament in their bid.

How long are I-owe-you’s good for? Kelowna missed out on getting to host the 2020 tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They couldn’t cash in any proverbial rainchecks in 2023 when the WHL last hosted, as they were informed Prospera Place did not meet CHL standards. The rink has since gone through renovations and both the city and the arena operator have put up money to further meet standards.

Time to cash in.

All of this isn’t to take away from Kelowna, they’ll no doubt do a great job hosting the 2026 tournament, as they did in 2004. B.C. teams have done a great job hosting Memorial Cups, hosting the last two (Kamloops, 2023) and five of the last 15, including 2026 and 2020. In that same time span, Alberta has just the one representative (Red Deer, 2016).

Hopefully within the 22 years since the team last hosted, Rockets’ staff have figured out how to limit fan access to opposing teams’ dressing rooms ahead of games, or how to better prevent fans from pulling fire alarms at hotels of opposing teams.

Hatters might remember both happening at the 2004 tournament, since the Tigers were on the receiving end each time. That missing Kevin Nastiuk mask must be a great story opportunity sitting in someone’s family room.

We dare them to tell it now.

Team-wise, the Tigers have already moved on from this and are not only focused on being at the 2026 tournament anyway, they’re looking to attend the 2025 Cup in Rimouski, Que. Having a guaranteed spot in the dance was never the issue.

The disappointment being shared by the committee and around the city comes from the simple knowledge of what could have been.

A city, nestled in the sunniest part of Canada and just as nice in May as overcrowded Kelowna, is capable of holding big events. Medicine Hat was regarded for duties in 2019 as hosts of the U17 hockey challenge. It’s set to the host the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in August of 2026. There’s been summer games, winter games, Canada Cups of Baseball and major international curling tournaments. This city can hold events and it puts on quite the show when doing so.

But the biggest surprise in all this is because of the team this organization has built.

The Tigers boast a roster that certainly could get them to the tournament anyway, headlined by the best prospect in the CHL, Gavin McKenna – with 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forwards Liam and Markus Ruck, and 2027 NHL Draft breakout forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll also in tow. Head coach Willie Desjardins, often reserved in media, has let go of some restraint in offering his thoughts on the announcement.

“I thought we deserved that chance, I really did,” said Desjardins. “I thought we deserved that chance to host it in front of our fans. We’ve been part of the league for over 50 years and they’ve never given us that opportunity. I don’t know why they wouldn’t, I don’t know why.”

So no doubt, the opportunity fore-goed by the CHL, going where they’ve boldly gone before instead of a new, excited-to-please option, brings a dose of disappointment.

The sting is accentuated by that unanimous vote, implying there was never another path for the Memorial Cup committee’s decision, other than heading back to B.C.

James Tubb is sports reporter with the Medicine Hat News. He can be reached at jtubb@medicinehatnews.com