Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

TOURNAMENT CAPITAL

Visitors and volunteers agree Kamloops has crushed the 2023 Memorial Cup

Jun 2, 2023 | 4:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s hard to believe that one week has passed since the opening game of the 2023 Memorial Cup.

As the weekend draws near and the Championship game looms Sunday, visitors to our city are impressed with the event and the folks making it happen.

“It’s been just phenomenal,” one Peterborough Petes supporter. “The people here in Kamloops have embraced all the teams, I think, and I can’t say enough about it. It’s been wonderful.”

Along with spending time at the games, fans have been able to experience activities around the city and region, as well.

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“We were up at Big Horn, we golfed up there, one day. It was beautiful,” the Petes supporter says. “We were up at [Sun} Peaks, and I took a car to Penticton. The scenery around here is just stunning.”

Craig Goslin is President and Managing Partner of the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s been blown away by the community’s response to the event.

“When you come here to a community like Kamloops and see the energy, this is the energy that we want to duplicate in Saginaw for the Memorial Cup next year,” Goslin says.

As hosts of the 2024 Memorial Cup, he and 20 others from Michigan have spent the week with the local Host Organizing Committee learning best practices.

“The Kamloops Host Organizing Committee has been incredible,” Goslin says. “They’ve really opened up their entire operation for us to get a view of, so we’ve taken mounds of pictures and video and notes. The things we’re looking for is to take the best of the best of the things that they’re doing. Things that are applicable to our Memorial Cup next year.”

With over 500 volunteers from the community who have stepped up, they’ve been a major part of the success of the event, especially at the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit at Kelson Hall.

“We’ve had amazing volunteers,” Suzanne Oates, Chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame for Host Organizing Committee says. “Everybody is dedicated, and the community seems to be really happy this is here, it’s such a great opportunity.”

While the tournament will wrap up on Sunday, there are still plenty of events for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

Goslin says he wants to bottle some of that energy he talked about and bring it home with him.

“Everywhere you go here in Kamloops, the people are congenial, they’re full of hospitality,” Goslin says. “That’s what we want to duplicate in Saginaw.’