Ice-time crunch follows Arena closure
Local rec league organizer says some are now looking to out-of-town locations
The closure of the Arena in Medicine Hat has had an undeniable spillover effect on all hockey in the city, states Travis Tubman, organizer of Average Joe’s Recreational Hockey League.
Ice time in Medicine Hat right now is $240 per hour, up $40 from last year, and it is difficult to book any ice time for rec. league hockey before 10 p.m. most evenings, says Tubman.
“There is some fallout because of the closure of the Arena, for sure,” confirms Tubman. “A lot of guys are going out to places like Irvine because it’s a lot cheaper, and they can’t get that earlier ice time in the city.”
Tubman admits he has thought about moving his rec. league out of the city, but ultimately nixed the idea because of the potential hazards of winter driving.
“I am not going to say I didn’t look at that option,” he says. “I try to cut costs wherever I can. At one point, the city was subsidizing 70 per cent of our ice fees. They are still subsidizing a little bit but now it is going toward user pay.
“I get it though; times are tough for everybody including the city. But it is a tough pill to swallow for some people. We lost a team this year because they couldn’t afford the ice time.”
The Irvine Sports Complex has been one of the main beneficiaries of this city ice-crunch. Administered by the Irvine and District Ag. Society and subsidized by Cypress County, the Sports Complex has been able to keep its ice fees at $125 per hour. As a result 75 per cent of the Sports Complex’s bookings now come from Medicine Hat, says Ag. Society president Craig Vossler.
“We get phone calls every day from people from Medicine Hat wanting ice time,” he confirms. “And we expect a lot more just because our rates are quite a bit lower than Medicine Hat’s are.”
Vossler says the Ag. Society has decided to keep its rates low because there are a lot of county residents who couldn’t afford to play hockey otherwise.
Vossler says an increase in fees of some sort may soon be in the offing, though, as provincial government grants have decreased on average $5,000-$9,000 annually the past three years, leaving the society with a shortfall in its operating budget.
“We are trying to keep our rates low, but at the same time if we can’t get the funding our rates would have to go up,” states Vossler.
Vossler says the ice time situation seems to be a problem in many urban areas of Alberta. The Irvine Sports Complex has been booking tournaments from as far away as Calgary in recent years.