The stage is being set for the return of the Memorial Cup to Âé¶čAV in 2020.
The Âé¶čAV Rockets will host the four-team, 10-day tournament and festival in May of next year, and the Rockets, alongside the city, are continuing the steps to prepare.
âWe have been able to complete the groundwork required for this tournament and we are now excited to get the community involved in this incredible national event,â said Tom Dyas, Memorial Cup committee chair.
READ MORE: 2020 Memorial Cup to be a Âé¶čAV-wide event
The Rockets announced the pricing for the Memorial Cup early on Friday, with special deals being available for Rocketsâ season tickets holders.
Current season tickets holders have first dibs at Memorial Cup tickets, while fans looking to purchase 2019/2020 season tickets will be next in line for cup tickets.
Ticket packages start at around $567 for the six round-robin games, semifinals and final game. More information can be found .
The may not be in this years playoffs, but all focus has turned to 2020.
â Mack Britton (@MackBrittonBC)
The Âé¶čAV Rockets were bounced out of the playoffs in early March, the first time the team hasnât advanced since 2007, so Rocketsâ general manager Bruce Hamilton and staff are focusing on developing the best team possible for the 2020 Memorial Cup.
READ MORE: Rockets season over after tiebreaker loss to Blazers
READ MORE: Rocketsâ rookie grabs awards at seasonâs end
The cup invites the winners of the three league of the CHL, the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL, into one best-of-the-best tournament. The host city, which will be Âé¶čAV in 2020, gets an automatic berth into the tournament as the fourth team.
âWhen I look at our hockey club, I feel we need to add probably four players, and weâre into that already. Iâm confident that weâll get the players we need to make us even more competitive,â said Hamilton.
READ MORE: Rockets to pick 5th at 2019 WHL Bantam Draft
Popular Âé¶čAV Rocketsâ icon Josh Gorges, who was part of the Rocketsâ winning team in 2004 when Âé¶čAV last hosted the cup and is now part of the current Rocketsâ front-house, said that the 2004 experience was something heâll always remember.
âItâs hard to explain, we didnât know as players at the time, we were kids, really you donât know what to expect, you donât know what the city is going to be like,â said Gorges. âSeeing the people walk around in their jerseys, seeing the buzz, you could feel it.â
âIt might have been one of the best Memorial Cup up to that point.â
âIt was amazing to see what this city did and got behind this team.â - Josh Gorges on his Memorial Cup experience. Is excited for 2020.
â Mack Britton (@MackBrittonBC)
The Rocketsâ won the bid to the 2020 Memorial Cup in October 2018. It will be nationally broadcast and will invite hockey fans from North America to Âé¶čAV for the 10-day citywide event.
Dyas, alongside Tourism Âé¶čAV and the City of Âé¶čAV, said the tournament will be welcomed back to Âé¶čAV with open arms.
âWe know this tournament is going to continue to showcase Âé¶čAV as a world-class destination,â said Dyas.
âAnd will last in the memories of not just hockey fans but also the residents of the Okanagan Valley.â
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