2026 Memorial Cup generated a record $50.9 million in new spending for Greater Kelowna

Photo by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)

TORONTO — The 2026 Memorial Cup generated an estimated $50.9 million in new spending in Greater Kelowna, the largest economic impact ever recorded for a Memorial Cup host community, the Canadian Hockey League announced Friday.

The findings come from an economic impact study conducted by T1 Agency and released by the CHL and the Kelowna 2026 Memorial Cup Host Organizing Committee.

Hosted by the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets from May 21 to 31, the 11-day tournament drew sellout crowds throughout at Prospera Place, with 47,780 tickets sold. The Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers won the event, capturing their third Memorial Cup championship.

“The Memorial Cup showcases the best of the best from across the CHL, and Kelowna demonstrated the immense value this event can bring to a community,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL. “From sellout crowds and visitor spending to support for local charities, students and community facilities, the impact reached well beyond the rink.”

The study, commissioned by the CHL, drew on more than 500 survey responses. It found many visiting fans stayed a week or longer, pairing the hockey with wine tours, golf, boating and hiking elsewhere in the region.

“The Memorial Cup is clearly a mega-event in Canada, one that brings in thousands of people and millions of dollars to its local market,” said Norm O'Reilly, a partner at T1 Agency.

Beyond the visitor spending, the tournament produced $137,000 in charitable support and scholarship funding, including $50,000 for Kelowna Minor Hockey to help families with registration and equipment costs and $37,000 for the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre of Kelowna.

The Memorial Cup Legacy Scholarship Program will provide $50,000 of that total to students at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College over the next five years. Launched in 2022, the program already supports students in Saint John, Kamloops, Saginaw and Rimouski, and will expand to Guelph following the 2027 Memorial Cup.

The event also sped up improvements at Prospera Place. The City of Kelowna invested $3.8 million in venue upgrades ahead of the tournament, including a new centre-hung LED video board, a professional audio system, more than 75 new screens, arena-wide Wi-Fi, two new electric ice resurfacers and upgraded media facilities.

“We're thrilled at the results of the economic impact study,” said Steve Thomson, co-chair of the Host Organizing Committee. “This result is a credit to our community partners, local businesses, volunteers and everyone who helped welcome fans to Kelowna.”

The 2027 Memorial Cup will be hosted by the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm in Guelph, Ont., from May 20 to 30, 2027.