2004 ROCKET RECALLS MAGICAL TIME
Former Kelowna Rocket recalls special memory from 2004 tournament
One of Josh Gorges’ clearest memories of the 2004 Memorial Cup in Kelowna doesn’t concern anything that happened on the ice. Gorges, who captained the Rockets team that won the tournament on home ice that year, recalls driving into Kelowna for the championship game.
The team had stayed at Lake Okanagan Resort on the Westside the night before, and the players marvelled at the sight that greeted them as they headed toward the rink.
“Once we got over the bridge and we turned downtown, we were just caught looking out the windows at these crowds of people with signs and jerseys,” Gorges, who was born in Kelowna, said Thursday.
“I mean, it was still about four hours before we were going to play, and you could just feel this excitement, this buzz,” said Gorges, whose NHL career has included stops with the San Jose Sharks and the Montreal Canadiens. He is currently on the roster of the Buffalo Sabres but will become a free agent July 1.
Gorges, who makes his off-season home in Kelowna, was at Prospera Place as the Rockets announced their intention to bid for the 2020 Memorial Cup.
Gorges said he was “almost surprised” Kelowna hasn’t hosted the tournament since 2003, given what he said was its success that year.
“You saw how the community got behind the organization, got behind the event,” Gorges said. “I’m excited that they have the opportunity to bring the Cup back to Kelowna.”
Gorges said he didn’t know until Wednesday the Rockets were intending to again bid on the Memorial Cup, after losing out to Saskatoon in 2013.
“They know that I’m always here to support the Rockets, with everything they’ve done for me over the course of my career,” Gorges said.