Shoot the Breeze Photography

By Regan Bartel

Too good to ignore, too hated to care

Kelowna Rockets: The team the Internet loves to hate

Jan 13, 2026 | 6:00 AM

For a team that’s currently winning hockey games, the Kelowna Rockets sure seem to spend a lot of time being told they’re not good enough.

Not good enough to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.
Not good enough on paper.
Not good enough in the standings.
Not good enough, apparently, for people who don’t live in Kelowna but do have extreme opinions and unlimited data plans.

Welcome to the WHL in 2026, where roster building is debated by strangers online, and every franchise decision comes with a comment section that thinks it could do better.

When the Rockets were awarded the Memorial Cup last November, the first round of outrage had nothing to do with the team. It was the building. Prospera Place “wasn’t up to speed.” Too old. Too small. Not Memorial Cup worthy, according to people who have no idea how gorgeous Kelowna is in May  – when all you need are sunglasses and a cold beer on a streetside patio. Ever heard of a Kelowna tuxedo? Shorts, T-shirt, flip-flops.

Is it any wonder so many current and former NHL players choose to make this place their permanent home or offseason escape?

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So the City of Kelowna responded by fixing it.

Nearly five million dollars was poured into Prospera Place. New scoreboard. New lighting. New sound system. Two electric Zambonis. Real upgrades. Expensive upgrades. The kind that don’t really leave much room for debate unless you’re committed to being mad.

That argument didn’t last long.

So the goalposts moved.

Suddenly, it wasn’t the building anymore. It was the roster. The Rockets weren’t “good enough” to host. The lineup didn’t scare anyone. The rebuild wasn’t flashy enough. Kelowna, the internet decided, was setting itself up for a Memorial Cup disaster, and it was very excited to say so.

The funny part? The Rockets didn’t panic.

They didn’t empty the cupboard. They didn’t chase every big name. They didn’t try to win the trade deadline on social media. Instead, they made tactical moves. Smart additions. The kind of trades that make sense in a dressing room, even if they don’t break the internet.

And somehow, that made people louder.

RocketFAN brought up the subject to head coach Derrick Martin, who understands why.

“When you look at the history of the Kelowna Rockets, there’s a history of winning,” Martin said. “Now we’ve got the Memorial Cup and we’re the hosts. I think we’re an easy team not to cheer for if you’re not part of our fan base.”

Translation: hate usually follows relevance.

Nobody spends this much time ripping teams that don’t matter. Nobody loses sleep over rosters that aren’t a threat. You don’t rage-post about background noise.

Sports history backs it up. People hated the New England Patriots for years. Not because they were boring, but because they kept winning. The New York Yankees don’t get booed everywhere because they’re bad. They get booed because they’re the Yankees.

Kelowna fits that mold whether people like it or not.

They have banners. They have a past with five previous appearances, but who’s counting? They have a Memorial Cup coming. That combination is going to bother people, especially fan bases still waiting their turn.

“We hear the little jabs about the Memorial Cup all the time,” Martin said. “That’s OK. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion.”

What matters, he says, is not letting those opinions run the team.

“If that’s us people hate, we can live with that,” Martin said. “But it can’t change how we operate.”

Inside the room, the focus hasn’t drifted. New players have blended in quickly. The group has stayed tight. The goal isn’t to clap back online. It’s to keep getting better, keep winning games, and keep building something that lasts longer than a hot take.

And maybe the most telling part of all this noise is how early it’s arriving. The Memorial Cup is still a long way off. There’s a season to finish. Playoffs to earn. Lessons to learn.

Yet some people already seem nervous.

Martin doesn’t see that as a problem.

“I think it’s a cool part of sports,” he said. “You want to be in an environment where it means something and opposition fans don’t like you. You’ve got to embrace that.”

So let the comments keep coming. Let the complaints keep shifting. First the building. Then the roster. Then whatever’s next.

The Rockets will keep doing their work.

And if they’re still being hated while they do it, that probably means they’re doing something right.