Prospera Place

In downtown Kelowna, the arena sits on Water Street, and the new name is Prospera Place, though the seating remains largely unchanged since it opened. The city bought the building from GSL Group and set a 30-year term that is still running.

The ground is shaped for hockey, and the Kelowna Rockets have played there since the start. The arena has hosted big games, including a Memorial Cup final, but the regular season matches are what fill the seats most nights. The capacity is 6,286 when you count the standing room, which is enough for a full house when the Rockets are on a run.

There have been changes over the years. They replaced the screens and improved the sound system last season so the fans can hear the announcements better. The city is looking at more money for the place, but nothing is signed yet. The old name, Skyreach Place, is gone from the signs, but some people in town still use it when they talk about the past. The arena is not the biggest in the Western Hockey League, but it is one of the few with a view like this. You can sit in the upper tier and see the lake behind the goal, and the water looks dark and still while the game is hard at the other end. The building does not look like the others in the city; the roof is low and flat, and the entrance is wide enough to take the crowd in without blocking the street.