Pucks, Bulls and Rocks: The Ultimate Co-op Place Conversion

Oct 16, 2026

Co-op Place

Chutes and pens are constructed as part of the setup for PBR

by Derek Schesnuk, Manager of Event Operations

One building. Four competition surfaces. Thousands of fans. Over the next month, Co-op Place will showcase the intense planning, precision and teamwork required to host major sporting events back-to-back-to-back. The arena will shift from Medicine Hat Tigers hockey to Professional Bull Riders (PBR), return to Tigers hockey, and then become a four-sheet championship curling venue for the Grand Slam of Curling. By the time the final 44-pound granite rock comes to rest, nearly 30,000 patrons from across Canada and around the world will have come through our doors.

The first transformation starts as soon as the final whistle sounds at a Tigers game. The ice is protected beneath a temporary event floor, while additional venue changeovers occur to facilitate the next event. Crews from across Western Canada then install the PBR riding arena, complete with chutes, pens, gates, event equipment and broadcast areas. The biggest change arrives one load at a time: approximately 1.5 million pounds of dirt is hauled into Co-op Place, spread across the arena floor and carefully prepared to create a safe, consistent surface for the riders and bulls.

When the final ride is over and the dust has settled, the conversion clock starts again. All 60+ truckloads of dirt must be removed, the livestock and event infrastructure dismantled, and the floor thoroughly cleaned before hockey can return. Dasher boards, glass, team benches, penalty boxes and other hockey equipment are restored to game ready conditions, not to mention the wiping down of 6,100+ seats in the venue. Crews then inspect the ice, logos, markings and playing surface so the Tigers can compete again on WHL quality ice. Completing the PBR conversion and the rapid return to hockey will require nearly 400 operational person-hours from venue operations, housekeeping and event support teams.

After the October 24th Tigers vs. Hitmen game, the most technically demanding conversion begins. Hockey ice is built for speed and durability; championship curling ice must be exceptionally flat, thicker and precisely finished. To prepare for the Grand Slam of Curling Masters event, more than 10,000 additional litres of water will be applied to thicken and level the existing ice slab. The surface will be built in stages, frozen, measured and refined before four competition sheets take shape. Curling rings, hog lines, bumpers, scoreboards, hacks and broadcast equipment will follow, with repeated quality checks helping deliver consistent conditions across the newly built sheets of curling ice. This event is scheduled to take place over six days from November 3 – 8.

What guests will see are the finished moments: the opening faceoff, the thunder of the chutes and excitement of an 8 second ride, and the final curling stone sliding toward the button. What they may not see are the hundreds of hours, calculated, time-driven decisions and extraordinary teamwork that make each transformation possible. As thousands of patrons arrive from across Canada and around the world, Co-op Place will do more than host a remarkable run of events—it will showcase the skill of our people, the strength of our partnerships and Medicine Hat’s ability to welcome the biggest stages in sport.

Four surfaces, one venue and one unforgettable month will prove that at Co-op Place, the next great event is never far away. Don’t miss any of the action – get your tickets to these great events at tixx.ca.