We want the Cup!

Suddenly, it’s 2004. Anyone who was living in the Okanagan at the time will well remember the excitement of the Rockets hosting its first-ever Memorial Cup, which is emblematic of junior hockey supremacy in Canada.

Captain Josh Gorges, born and raised in Kelowna, remembers an electrifying, party atmosphere outside Prospera Place — four hours before the championship game began.

The Rockets winning the Cup on home ice was recently named the No. 1 sports moment in the Okanagan of this century.

Now, thanks to a whole lot of people whose names you will get to know better over the weeks and months ahead, are bidding to host the prestigious event once again.

It’s B.C.’s turn and based on the enthusiasm and excitement in the room, Thursday when the announcement was made, Kelowna is a no-brainer.

Kelowna Chamber of Commerce past-president Tom Dyas will chair the bid committee which will include 2004 co-chairs Paul Mitchell and Bill Withers.

Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton said that when Kelowna last hosted the event, they elevated it from a hockey tournament to a festival.

If successful, this time it will be bigger and better.

Hamilton said he’s confident that in 2020, the year they’re bidding for, the Rockets will field a team capable of winning it all.

The bid committee has five months to get ready and will present at the Canadian Hockey League’s governors’ meeting on Oct. 3 in Calgary.

What can the average, everyday hockey fan do to help?

Talk it up among your friends, comment on social media, write letters to the editor, and above all, pack Prospera Place for all preseason and early regular season games.

We want the Cup!