Quote:
Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
Yikes.
Kelowna has lost 5 in a row, they are 2-8-0 in their last 10, have a 23-25-3 record and are -34 in goal differential.
I can't remember off the top of my head a Memorial Cup host having such a weak team and you certainly wouldn't have expected it from such a usually well run organization like the Rockets.
Not gonna lie though, as a die hard Cane-iac I'm smiling a little seeing as how they won the bid over the Canes who have surprisingly iced a top 5ish WHL team through thick and thin so far this season.
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Kelowna is having a season from hell. They've had horrific long-term injuries to top players, their coach is in over his head and they've been playing affiliate players all year (and many players playing out of position).
Pretty much everything that could possibly go wrong has.
A change behind the bench could be the spark, a cardboard cutout would do a better job than Adam Foote. But simply getting their top guys back from injury would do wonders and word is all but two players (Liam Kindree and Sean Comrie) will return by this upcoming weekend so you'll probably get a better idea of where the Rockets really stand after that.
Not surprising that some around the league would experience schadenfreude at this. Kelowna has been the 2nd best organization in the CHL the past two decades (and best in the WHL), it's like the the rest of the NFL being happy when the Patriots lose. Completely understood. Enjoy it while you can; there is a golden generation of young prospects drafted out of bantam in 2018 and 2019 that will probably have the Rockets back as contenders in the next few years again. Even the London Knights had an awful Memorial Cup performance the year they hosted in 2014 but they bounced back.
A bit strange though considering Lethbridge was never a serious candidate to host. It was BC's turn, Lethbridge seemed headed for a rebuild and honestly who wants to spend the May long weekend there over the Okanagan? Anholt runs a solid program though and he'll get another opportunity to bid again when it's actually Alberta's turn.
In the meantime, perhaps a finally-healthy Rockets team will gel a bit and surprise some down the stretch. There's tickets still available for the Memorial Cup. Grab yours and enjoy a week on the lake