By James Shewaga, Brandon Sun — From day one, Ron Robison was one of the biggest backers of Brandon’s bid to host the MasterCard Memorial Cup.  And Brandon’s host committee certainly didn’t disappoint.

Robison had nothing but praise for local organizers after a 10-day event that captured the imagination of the city and will leave a lasting legacy for decades to come.

“Without question it was certainly one of the best organized Memorial Cups that we’ve had in our history,” said Robison, who has been to 10 Memorial Cups as league commissioner, including four hosted by WHL teams.

 

“I think it goes without saying that the Wheat Kings organization and the volunteer organizing committee were exceptional in terms of all of the details and went above and beyond the call of duty. … Overall, it exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

 

While last Sunday’s finale proved anticlimactic — the back-to-back champion Windsor Spitfires’9-1 thrashing of the host Wheat Kings was a disappointment, to say the least — the buildup throughout the week was remarkable. And Brandon’s dramatic 5-4 overtime victory over the Calgary Hitmen in the Friday night semifinal in front of 5,235 loud and proud towel-waving Wheat King fans ranks as arguably the most exciting hockey game ever played at Westman Place.

 

And while the ultimate goal for the Wheat Kings was to finally capture the Memorial Cup, this event was always going to be about more than just winning a game. The Memorial Cup put Brandon back into the national sports spotlight, renewed our sense of pride in our community and provided priceless exposure for the city.

 

The tournament also generated an estimated $13 million in economic impact for the community, with the city and province providing $5 million for much-needed upgrades to Westman Place, including the installation of the state-of-the-art video scoreclock, seven luxury boxes, new glass around the boards and refurbished dressing rooms.

 

This year’s tournament was also one of the most fan-friendly in Memorial Cup history, with the majority of the on-ice and off-ice events all held under one roof in the sprawling Keystone Centre complex, from the popular Molson Canadian Hockey House, to the Hockey Hall of Fame exhibits and the Westman hockey history memorabilia, interactive displays and games in the Memorial Cup Village.

 

The Memorial Cup also proved once again that Brandon is more than capable of hosting major sporting events, with the tournament joining the likes of the 1997 Canada Summer Games, 1995 World Curling Championships and 1994 and 1991 World Youth Baseball Championships as part of our successful sports history.

 

“No.1, from a league standpoint, Brandon has demonstrated that smaller centres and more traditional WHL markets are capable of hosting and that has really stimulated interest across the league,” Robison said. “Secondly, I think the upgrades to the facility, not only the jumbotron and the private box suites, but the dressing rooms, the arena glass and other improvements in the facility leaves a tremendous legacy for the community and the Wheat Kings.

 

“And thirdly, this is about how these events inspire people to take great pride in their community and clearly that was evident in Brandon.”

 

Brandon may not have generated the same kind of revenue that the league earned from the 2007 Memorial Cup at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, which set attendance records by drawing 121,561 fans over nine games, as opposed to 42,204 over eight games — all standing-room-only crowds, mind you — at Westman Place.

 

The final figures won’t be known for another couple of weeks, but each of the 22 teams in the WHL will earn an equal share of at least an $800,000 profit guarantee, with the Wheat Kings’ scholarship fund also receiving a huge boost of between $50,000 and $100,000 from its share of 50/50 ticket sales from the event.

 

But this was about more than just money. To the league’s credit, tradition triumphed over profit margin when the WHL unanimously awarded the Memorial Cup to the Wheat Kings for their 44th season.

 

And clearly, the Wheat City, the Wheat Kings organization and the host committee held up their end of the bargain.