...but still holding to great moments of hockey at The Arena
T RYAN MCCRACKEN
he world of junior hockey has seen considerable changes since the inception of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1970, and as Canada’s national pastime has
evolved, so too has the franchise.
Tigers senior director of marketing and public relations Dave Andjelic has been a member of the organization since 1992, and in those years he’s seen the team take on new approaches to the game, both from a hockey operations and business standpoint.
“There wasn't nearly as much promotional selling back then as what there is today. Basically when I started we sold rink boards and programs, it was basically a one-man show back then,” said Andjelic. “Now we're full-on marketing. We've got a great staff that has done a terrific job here over the last 10 or 12 years. As the hockey industry has grown, so has our team and our staff, as well as downstairs, with the hockey club. We went from a head coach, an assistant coach and trainer, where now we've added all this support staff in and around the players as well.”
At the end of the playoffs, the Tigers will say their final farewell to the building known to Hatters as simply The Arena. While the history held in the halls of the old board will never be forgotten, there’s plenty to be excited for when the Tigers take the ice at their new home, the Medicine Hat Regional Event Centre.
“It's going to be new, modern,” said Andjelic. “They're going to see things in that rink comparable to going to any of the bigger arenas in Canada, to going up to see the Flames or Oilers.”
Some of those new features include the Centre Ice restaurant and lounge, increased concession stands and washrooms, but perhaps the biggest new feature fans can look forward to at the Event Centre is the video scoreboard.
“It will finally be nice to have a video score clock where we can do all of our replays,” he said. “It'll be a good part of our marketing, too.”
Andjelic added the new barn, featuring 195,000 square feet of space, will make for a much greater ease of access for fans, as well as increased seating and accommodation for disabled patrons.
“Overall I think it will be a lot easier to move around the building itself ... There's plenty and plenty of space in that new building for the fans to move around,” he said. “There will be an elevator to help folks get from one level to the next, and our store is going to be that much bigger.”
While moving to the Event Centre is an exciting prospect, it will surely be hard to part ways with The Arena. As one of the Western Hockey League's longest- standing active buildings, The Arena has seen 45 seasons of Tigers hockey and five successful WHL championship runs. But it seems the most vivid memory for fans and players alike is the infamous 2007 fog final, which saw the Tigers take
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2015 REPORT ON SOUTHEAST ALBERTA
In with the new
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