Blazers ready to present 2020 Memorial Cup bid tomorrow

The competition is stiff.
Lethbridge has never played host to a Memorial Cup. A franchise in trouble three years ago, the Hurricanes have turned it around. They’re now one of the best in the Canadian Hockey League. Number three in the latest national rankings.

Kelowna played host in 2004, and won. The Rockets have one of the most competitive track records over the last fifteen years, the most influential owner in the league —– and Kelowna is….well, it’s Kelowna.

Among other things, the Kamloops bid will hang its hat on history.

“Well I think a big part of it is that it’s the 25th anniversary of the last Memorial Cup.” says Kamloops bid chair Norm Daley.

But history alone won’t sell it —– and the Kamloops bid committee knows it.
Each bid will have to show their team will be competitive in the 2019-20 season —– one that can contend for the Memorial Cup.
The Blazers haven’t had that in recent years.

“We’re talking about a team in May of 2020, we’re not talking about a team in September of 2018.” says Daley.

There is promise on this years roster —- most of it built by a hockey operations group that was gutted last May. Now the ball is in the court of the new regime to build on it and the committe to convince the board of governors that it will be a Memorial Cup worthy group in May of 2020.

A financial guarantee could hold more weight than gambling on a competitive team. Each bid will have to paint a rosy bottom line.

“There are financial guarantees that have to be made.” says Daley. “There’s also a lot of discussion about ticket pricing coming out of Regina last spring, and going to Halifax in 2019.”

“You know we’re really going in there about what’s good about Kamloops.” says Daley. “Our sponsorship, the fan base that we have here, the business community wanting to get involved and also just the tremendous volunteers we have here —- those are all the things we’re going to sell.”

Perhaps one of the best strengths that the Kamloops committee has had in preparing its bid, is the experience in bidding for these big box events.

“We’ve made these bids, but we haven’t always won.” says Norm Daley. “We made a bid for the 2009 Olympic Trials (curling) against Edmonton.
We did’nt get the women’s World Hockey Championship the first time. I sat there, I looked at those things.” says Daley. “Those experiences lead you in how you bid for the next one. The things that what did it, what made if different. We made sure we covered off those points. We made sure we had everything that’s important. At the end of the day something could blind side us — a question, or whatever. But I think we’re quite well prepared and we’re cautiously optomistic as we head off to Calgary.”

by Earl Seitz

Blazers ready to present 2020 Memorial Cup bid tomorrow

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