WHL Kelowna Rockets

1,000 and Counting

Published on March 4, 2009 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


On Friday February 27, the Rockets franchise played their 1,000th regular season game since moving to Kelowna as they fell 3-2 in Red Deer.

The team has played 1,000 regular season games since moving to Kelowna for the 1995-1996 season. The Rockets have won 510 regular season games since the move, with their best season being 2002-2003 when they finished 51-14-6-1 and made their first apperance in the Memorial Cup and locked down the #1 seed in the tournament.

Over the course of 1,000 regular season games, the Rockets have seen plenty of ups and downs, Vice President of Business Gavin Hamilton has experienced them all as he sits down with Ryan Watters to remember some of the great moments:

RW: What does 1,000 regular season games mean to you?

GH: I think it suggests longevity and that our franchise has certainly survived some ups and downs and to reach 1,000 games to be honest, I hadn't thought about that until I heard the game on Friday.

RW: Think back to the game when you're thinking about moving the team to Kelowna; was it always the Okanagan that was on your mind?

GH: No, at the time there were a few different options that were possibly available; Boise, Idaho was one of them, but probably when it came right down to logistics...and Gord Oxley at the time had suggested he wanted to buy part of the team and then was going to build his own building on the site of Prospera Place, and that certainly intrigued us, which meant we were guaranteed of surviving and having a new building. Ultimately as everyone knows that kind of went down hill and he turned out to be a different kind of guy. We do joke about it some days because without him we probably would have never ended up in Kelowna, which has turned out to be the best place for our family and hockey team.

RW: Coming from a huge facility like the Tacoma Dome and moving into the very small and intimate Memorial Arena, was that a concern at all?

GH: It was a little bit, but I can remember when Anne-Marie and I drove through here after a family reunion in Saskatoon and we were actually thrilled with Memorial because it was A LOT more intimate, we certainly thought we could create the atmosphere and looking at the number of seats we had and crushing the numbers, we figured we could probably survive or at least not lose as much as we were losing annually down in Tacoma.

RW: How about some of the players that have come through Kelowna? Some, going on to play in the National Hockey League, but some guys who were just fun to have around.

GH: We had some pretty good characters, I remember Justin Jack, who wasn't the great player, but tough as nails. Jason Deleurme was a very exciting player; Todd MacDonald was one of our goalies. There are a lot of guys along with the Brett McLeans, and the Scott Hannans, Ryan Wade played with us for a long time, so it's been exciting and there have been quite a few visiting players that have come through too like Jarome Iginla that our fans have had a chance to watch.

For the complete interview log on to www.kelownarockets.com/onthelaunchpad, and hear some of Gavin's ups and downs and what he thinks would have happened if the team remained in Tacoma.

Dowzak's Final Tour

Fergus Falls, Minnesota, a town of 16,000 people roughly two hours and 45 minutes west of Minneapolis and home to Rockets' veteren defenceman Tysen Dowzak. The 20 year old enters his final month in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Dowzak, who turns 21 on March 8, was the Rockets' sixth round pick in the WHL's 2003 Bantam Draft. He made his debut on September 23, 2005 against the Vancouver Giants and has become a staple in the Rockets' defensive core.

Not known for his offense, as he has scored just four goals in four years, Dowzak's strength is on the blue line and bumping streaking forwards off the puck with his 6'5 frame.

Recently Ryan Watters caught up with Tysen to get his thoughts on his WHL career.

RW: Can you believe it's your final year?

TD: It's kind of crazy, I mean it seems like just yesterday I showed up here and it's been a whirlwind the last four years.

RW: How have you grown as a person and a player since joining the Western Hockey League?

TD: As a player I've realized what I have to do to be successful at the next level and as a person, I've grown up so much here in the last four years. It's been quite a treat to grow up here in Kelowna.

RW: As you look back what has been your most memorable moment in a Rockets' uniform?

TD: Man, I think I have to go with one of the games in my first season, during the playoffs against Everett when we went into double overtime and we ending up winning here at home, it was fun.

RW: Is there one guy or one teammate that you have enjoyed playing with the most?

TD: There are so many great guys, but if I have to just pin point a couple...Schenner (Luke Schenn) was awesome getting to know him. It's been a real treat to play here with Longer (Colin Long) and Cody (Almond), I mean those guys have been around for four years just like myself and it's been a real treat.

RW: Hopefully you can extend your WHL career with a long run into the playoffs, but what's next for Tysen Dowzak?

TD: After the Western League, hopefully stick with Hartford next year and proceed from there and see what happens and just keep climbing the ladder.

The Rockets wish Tysen best of luck next season, but still hope to see a lot more of him with a long run in post season.

Thank you for your interest in the Kelowna Rockets. Don't forget, Playoff tickets for Game One & Two in the opening round go on sale Tuesday March 10 at 8:30am at the Select Your Tickets box office, online at www.selectyourtickets.com or call 250-762-5050. Please feel free to share Rockets Science with your friends and encourage them to sign up at www.kelownarockets.com.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2009


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