MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — The Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League have signed a multi-year deal with the arena where they play.
The hockey team announced Thursday it had reached a deal with the operators of Canalta Centre within an hour of an eviction deadline set for noon.
No details about the lease, including the length of the deal, were released.
The arena’s general manager, Peter Jelinski, said Canalta Centre is happy to have the junior hockey team as a long-term tenant.
"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement and look forward to continuing our partnership with the Tigers as they make the Canalta Centre their home," Jelinski said in a statement from operator SMG-Canada.
The lease will meet everyone’s needs and will be mutually beneficial, he added.
Team officials are crediting the assistance of the WHL in moving negotiations forward.
"The terms of this agreement are almost identical to the contract the Medicine Hat Tigers signed on March 24 (rejected by the City of Medicine Hat), which gives the organization optimism moving forward," a team release read.
Last week, the city had threatened to serve an eviction notice unless a long-term lease was in place. News releases from the team since then said the Tigers had felt an agreement had been reached, but the city then asked for concessions.
