Hockey players and their parents are bracing for the final buzzer inside the Medicine Hat Arena.
City council voted back in December to close the building, which opened its doors in 1970.
The Midget 15’s are still practising in the Medicine Hat Arena, but not for much longer.
City staff say the ice will be removed in late April.
Once that’s done, ball hockey and lacrosse teams can use the dry surface for their games.
But come July, the city will lock up the facility for good.
Todd Sharpe, general manager of the city’s parks and recreation department, said many teams will begin their next season in the Canalta Centre.
“It’s a win-win because our user groups get to use a state of the art facility,” he said.
But manager for the Midget 15’s, Donna Schlosser, isn’t so sure.
“Using the Canalta Centre, as much as it’s a big, wonderful, beautiful building, we won’t be able to be as consistent as you would be,” she said, saying scheduling conflicts with the Tigers and events coming to the city could impact their team practises.
Sharpe said the city has yet to decide what will happen with the old arena.
“It could range from a group purchasing it and wanting to operate it, to a developer purchasing it because they want the premium land beside the river and anything in between,” he said.
