The Quesnel Kangaroos will host the 2020 Coy Cup at the West Fraser Centre March 24-28.
BC Hockey awarded hosting duties to the local Mens AA hockey team on Friday (Sept. 6).
“It’s huge,” says Tyler Coleman, who as team president put in a lot of work to gain hosting duty for the club.
“It’s one thing to go to the Coy and compete but when you’re got a history like we do, it means the world. This is like our Stanley Cup.”
The Kangaroos have won the trophy 11 times, including a remarkable eight times in nine years during the 1980s. They have not been able to hoist it since the 1997-98 season however, so many are hungry to get it back.
With that in mind, the team’s tryouts this week have taken on an added intensity.
“Last year, everybody bought into our systems with the idea of truly competing to win properly,” Coleman says. “And that’s continued to this year with the Coy coming.
“It’s 100-per-cent focus.”
In addition to the hockey, there are a lot of administrative and logistical issues to take care of before the tournament begins.
“It’s a little daunting,” admits the team president. “It’s a big task, as it’s a big tournament and a big deal for the Roos and Quesnel.
“We want to do this right. We don’t want to just hack it together. We want people to look back on how much they enjoyed it for years to come.”
There will be three teams coming to town in addition to a fair amount of family and fans, which Coleman says should lead to a tidy economic boost for the city.
With the local PeeWee hockey team hosting the provincials the week before, Quesnel will be gifted the chance to watch some excellent hockey for a couple weeks at the end of winter when entertainment is craved the most.
“You’re going to get a lot of guys coming out of the woodwork that have played pro or major junior that are really high-level skill players coming to this tournament,” Coleman says.
This season will mean all that much more to the local squad, who will want to put on a top-notch performance for the hometown fans.
Their home opener will be Saturday, Sept. 28 versus their rivals from down south, the Williams Lake Stampeders.
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