By Earl Seitz

And the winning bid for the 2020 Memorial Cup host is…….

Oct 3, 2018 | 4:55 PM

KAMLOOPS — The decision is in on the host city for the 2020 Memorial Cup tournament.
Governor’s from the 22 Western Hockey League teams huddled to watch a video, hear an oral presentation and then a question and answer period from the three bids —- Kamloops, Kelowna and Lethbridge.
Shortly before 3pm league Commissioner Ron Robison announced the winning bid.

“It is now my distinct pleasure to announce that on behalf of the Canadian Hockey League and the Western Hockey League board of governors that the Kelowna Rockets will host the 2020 Memorial Cup.”   

While it was jubilation for Kelowna and Rockets, it meant disappointment for the bids from the Kamloops Blazers and Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Blazers bid committee felt they put it all on the table, and that there was nothing more they could do.
By text from Calgary Kamloops bid committee chair Norm Daley says

“We worked really hard — and received props for our presentation.
You know it is disappointing, but we were extremely competitive in our bid and proud of our team.  
Kelowna had lost twice in a row.
Maybe we just need to try again.
Kelowna has had some great success as a team, and we wish them all the best.”

“Kamloops were a very solid bid.” says WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.
“Their overall presentation and their plan was outstanding.   Their community involvement, their reputation as a centre which has a lot of experience in hosting international and national championship events goes without saying.  Their whole community involvement was a real strength of their bid.’
 
“Lethbridge and Kamloops were well prepared.” says Kelowna Rockets President and General Manager Bruce Hamilton.
“I think we (Kelowna) had a real good presenation on our city” says Hamilton.   “And the partnership we’ve got with the city, and I firmly believe we will have a really good hockey club, which is most important in this event.”

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This will be the second time Kelowna has hosted the Memorial Cup and the fifth time it’s been played in B.C.
In each of the first four it’s been won by the host team.   The New Westminster Bruins in 1977, the Kamloops Blazers in 1995, the Kelowna Rockets the first time they hosted in 2004 and the Vancouver Giants in 2007.
The pressure will now be on the Rockets to ice another competitive team in the 2019-20 season.