Memorial Cup lookback: future NHL greats helped Rockets on gutsy run to 2009 final in Rimouski

Rimouski, Que.- It’s been a hot minute since the Memorial Cup landed on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Rimouski, Quebec.

Sixteen years, to be precise.

In 2009, the Kelowna Rockets represented the Western Hockey League at the prestigious tournament and came within one win of lifting the Memorial Cup thanks to a roster stacked with talent still flourishing in the professional ranks and a coach- who reigns in the Memorial Cup record books.

Like the Ogopogo stirring in the depths of Lake Okanagan, ripples of a strong team turned into undeniable waves as splashy import star Mikael Backlund joined the squad after a silver-medal performance with Sweden at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Backlund, along with the likes of Jamie Benn, Tyler Myers, and Tyson Barrie dominated the second half the of the WHL season, going 22-4-1-3 down the home stretch.

Kelowna swept the rival Kamloops Blazers in the first round of the 2009 WHL Playoffs.

In Round Two, the U.S. Division Champion Tri-City Americans jumped out to a 2-0 series lead before Kelowna struck back with four straight wins, capped off with a two-goal, one-assist effort by Backlund to eliminate the Ams in Game 6.

Similarly, it took six games to dispatch the Vancouver Giants in the Western Conference Championship before downing the Calgary Hitmen in overtime in Game 6 to lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the third time in team history.

Barrie tallied the Championship-winning goal, with Benn and Backlund snagging the assists.

Myers was named the WHL Playoffs MVP with 20 points (5G-15A) to lead all defencemen.

Heading into the team’s third Memorial Cup appearance in seven seasons, Head Coach Ryan Huska- whose three Memorial Cup titles as a player still stand as a CHL record- believed the Rockets were the underdogs in a stacked field that featured the Windsor Spitfires, Drummondville Voltigeurs and host Rimouski Oceanic.

Kelowna quickly caught the attention of the nation with a dominant 4-1 win over the hosts before edging Drummondville 6-4.

Windsor edged the Rockets 2-1 to close out round-robin play, setting up an all-important rematch in the title game.

The Spitfires would ultimately prevail in the final game of the season, with Colin Long scoring Kelowna’s 4-1 goal in the loss, but the run and caliber of players on that team still stand up as one of the best in recent WHL history.

Benn was awarded the Ed Chynoweth Cup as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals and four assists for nine points in four games, and was also named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team along with Myers.

In the 16 years since, Backlund, Benn and Myers have gone one to suit up for more than 1,000 regular season NHL games played (Barrie is currently at 822).

Benn has captained the Dallas Stars since 2013-14, won Olympic gold for Canada at the 2014 Winter Games, captured the Art Ross Trophy for most points in 2015 and is a three-time NHL All-Star.

Backlund, who recently completed his second season as the Captain of the Calgary Flames, has collected gold, silver and bronze medals with Sweden at the IIHF World Championships and won the 2023 NHL King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made  significant humanitarian contributions to their community.

Myers remains one of the tallest players in the NHL at an astonishing 6-foot-8, and boasts a Calder Trophy win for NHL Rookie of the Year and a gold medal with Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

Barrie posted the most points by an NHL defenceman (48) in the truncated 2020-21 season and earned gold and silver with Canada at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships.

Huska has gained league-wide acclaim in his first stint as an NHL Head Coach in Calgary, where he’s reunited with Backlund and Barrie.

The Rockets look to write a new chapter in the team’s storied history at the Memorial Cup when the tournament returns to the Okanagan in 2026- but first, the Medicine Hat Tigers look to lift the CHL’s top prize.

Medicine Hat opens the 2025 Memorial Cup against the host Rimouski Oceanic on Friday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m. MST.

Every 2025 Memorial Cup match will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be livestreamed on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app.

The tournament will air in the United States on NHL Network and stream live for free on Victory+ for fans outside of Canada.