After receiving assurances that it won’t cost taxpayers anything, Rossland city council has given its blessing to the local senior men’s hockey team bidding to host the Coy Cup provincial championships.
It will be the third straight year that the Warriors have bid on the tournament. BC Hockey awarded the event to Powell River in 2024 and Prince Rupert this year, where the Warriors went undefeated through the round robin but narrowly lost the final to Terrace.
“We believe we have a great chance to be awarded it [for 2026], but we needed support from the city to extend the ice to the end of March,” explained Warriors secretary-treasurer Dyne Parker.
The tournament is held in the last week of March, but Rossland normally removes its ice from the local arena at the start of that month.
The Warriors originally approached the city in April about extending the ice season to allow their bid, but were turned down due to the costs involved and the staffing required. This week, the team returned with a proposal that promised to cover those expenses, through grants and sponsorships.
The Warriors also provided letters of support from the West Kootenay Timberwolves and West Kootenay Minor Lacrosse Association, who use the arena once the ice comes out. While the Coy Cup would potentially delay the start of the lacrosse season until mid-April, they plan to look for other facilities.
The Warriors expect it will cost $86,000 to host the tournament and plan to break even. The extended ice time and related costs come to about $27,000. The team is projecting ticket sales of $24,000, sponsorships of $30,000, alcohol sales of $21,000, and plans to make a $10,000 contribution of their own.
Dyne said the team’s bid is expected to go to BC Hockey this week, and they are hoping to hear by mid-September if they are successful. If they get the go-ahead, they will push for additional local sponsorship and support.
“We have now checked all the boxes BC Hockey has asked us to check, so we’re very hopeful this could be our year,” Parker said. “We’re really excited to have the opportunity to host the tournament. We’re going to hope for a lot of support from the community as well local businesses.”
Parker expects the tournament to bring 75 to 100 people to the area for a week. The team predicts the local economic impact will be about $88,000, similar to the expense of hosting the tournament.
While the city supported the team’s previous bids, Parker attributed council’s change of heart earlier this year simply to a different mindset.
“Taking on an extra month of operating the arena is a high cost to the taxpayer. We understand that. But we worked with the city and rec department to find a solution that will allow us to operate the tournament.”
Parker said they don’t expect the ice to be open to other user groups in March, so it will only need to be staffed for tournament games.
Mayor Andy Morel said supporting the bid was an “easy decision” once their concerns were met. Every member of council present this week voted in favour.
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