Tigers and Pats contest will mark first team sellout in Co-op Place

By JAMES TUBB on February 4, 2023.

For many years attendance at Medicine Hat Tigers games could be chiselled into stone, 4,006 fans would be packed into The Arena each night.

Now for the first time at Co-op Place, Sunday’s sell-out game against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats has brought un-trackable numbers and will mark a franchise high for attendance.

The 4 p.m. matinee contest sold out the lower bowl weeks in advance, prompting the Tigers and Co-op Place to open the upper deck in a series of rows, which also quickly sold out. The next step was to sell overflow tickets, which as of press time had only one remaining.

With a sold-out venue and overflow tickets dispersed, there remains the question of just how many fans will be in attendance on Sunday.

The News contacted the Tigers and Tixx.ca, the online service tickets are sold through but could not obtain an exact sell-out number.

An estimate came from the City of Medicine Hat’s manager of guest experience and operations Trampas Brown, who said they are expecting over 6,000 fans to be in Co-op Place on Sunday.

“We’re excited to see the building full and have that many people in attendance,” Brown said.

Once Sunday’s game crosses that 6,000-fan plateau, it will become the official largest attendance at a Tigers game at both The Arena and Co-op Place, previously known as Canalta Centre.

The previous highest total of 5,947 came in the Tigers’ first game at Co-op Place, a 5-3 win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sept. 26, 2015.

Associate coach Joe Frazer played and coached when the Tigers played at The Arena and says he’s been telling the players about those crowds.

“I’ve told them how loud and crazy The Arena was and how special of a place that was, just how fortunate and lucky we were to play in a place like that,” Frazer said. “For these guys to get to experience what it’s truly like to play here in front of a packed house, I know the guys are really excited for it.

“I want to thank the fans for making that happen and sticking by us.”

Head coach Willie Desjardins shared the sentiment for the atmosphere in The Arena and is looking forward to a return of what should be a packed building Sunday.

“It was great playing in front of that group for years, and teams around the league would rate the toughest building to play in and we’d always be one, we were always at the top,” Desjardins said. “It’s going to be nice to get all the fans back here and be a part of it and they really are part of the team. It’s not separate, we’re a Medicine Hat team. We love the city and we love our fans.”

Because of the high demand for tickets at the game and the expected large attendance, the city has organized two free buses to pick fans up and drop them off after the game at the Medicine Hat Mall and at Big Marble Go Centre.

Pickups from the mall will begin at 2 p.m and run every 30 minutes until 4:30 p.m. The bus will depart Co-op Place after the game with additional trips back to the mall every 30 minutes.

The Big Marble bus will also begin at 2 p.m. and will run every 20 minutes until 4:20 p.m. It will depart Co-op Place after the game with additional trips back to Big Marble every 20 minutes.

Brown says the transit options allow for fans to park and get a ride into the game to cut down on the parking stress at Co-op Place.

The doors will also be opening at 2:30 for the 4 p.m. start, 30 minutes earlier than any other game.

Brown says they have adjusted security and staff for the game and suggest fans avoid bringing a bag through security as they will be doing bag checks.

“We want to get people in the building as quick as we can and let them get in place to enjoy the day,” Brown said.