The Henderson Ice Centre has been running since 1975. Fifty-one years on the same infrastructure same cramped lobby, same undersized dressing rooms, same heating system from the year it opened.
That is all changing this year.
The City of Lethbridge is midway through a two-phase $6.1 million modernization of the facility at 2301 Parkside Drive South, part of the Capital Improvement Program 2022-2031. Phase one is complete and came in on budget. Phase two is underway right now and wraps late summer timed specifically to be ready before ice goes back in for the fall hockey season.
Who uses Henderson and what it actually is
Henderson is not just a hockey rink. It is two ice surfaces under one roof a full-size surface for all users and a smaller surface specifically designed for children under 10. That second rink is what makes Henderson different from most community arenas it gives young skaters their own space rather than sharing a full NHL-sized surface with adults.
The facility is the home of Lethbridge Athletic Association Hockey and is one of six arenas used by Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association. The Lethbridge Skating Club which has been teaching Lethbridge to skate since 1939 runs programs there including CanSkate, STARSkate figure skating, and CanPowerSkate for hockey and ringette players. Public skating, shinny hockey, and recreational leagues all run through Henderson as well. Drop-in sessions are available without reservation throughout the season.
The building runs from September through April with occasional summer ice. LiveBarn cameras live-stream ice surface activity so parents and family can watch from anywhere.
Why the facility needed this
Henderson had four dressing rooms before this renovation. The city's other arenas have more. Cavendish Farms Sportsplex — which has two ice surfaces and is the home of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has twelve. Nicholas Sheran has more proportionally for its size. The gap created real scheduling pressure during busy winter weekends when multiple teams needed the building at the same time.
"We have four dressing rooms, while in the other arenas we have at least six," said Robin Harper, General Manager of Recreation and Culture with the City of Lethbridge. "In Cavendish we have 12 to accommodate two ice surfaces, so an upgrade here with four additional dressing rooms and renovating the existing three will give us a full complement."
The building itself is structurally solid. The problem has always been functionality a 51-year-old facility designed for how people used arenas in 1975, not 2026.
"The structure is still solid. The functionality of the facility is not great," Harper said.
What phase one built
Phase one converted a decommissioned mini practice rink in the south end of the building sitting unused for about a decade because high maintenance costs made it impractical to keep running into four brand new dressing rooms.
Each room has its own private bathroom and shower, barrier-free entry and exit operators, and new LED lighting. The old heating system was completely replaced with a heat pump setup paired with a heat recovery ventilator. The renovation came in on budget.
"We're on budget. We finished within the initial window that we thought," said Jace Adams, Facilities Project Manager with the City.
Why the heating upgrade matters
Arenas are among the most energy-intensive buildings a city operates. Refrigeration keeps the ice frozen. Heating keeps the rest of the building warm. In an older facility those systems run independently each burning energy without any recovery between them.
The heat pump installed in phase one changes that. Arena refrigeration generates significant waste heat as a byproduct of keeping the ice cold. The heat pump captures that waste heat and redirects it to warm the building instead of exhausting it outside. The heat recovery ventilator does the same for air — capturing heat from outgoing dressing room exhaust to pre-warm incoming cold outside air.
"We were able to use a heat pump system for heating and cooling, some energy efficient strategies," Adams said. "We also have a heat recovery ventilator, which when you're using your exhaust heat, it just saves some energy."
In a Lethbridge winter those systems run hard for months. The savings compound year over year. The $6.1 million capital investment reduces what the city pays to run the building every season going forward.
What phase two is doing right now
Phase two started in spring 2026. The front doors are moving and the lobby is expanding. A new concession space and ticket office are being added. Existing washrooms, change rooms, and the officials' room are all being renovated to current barrier-free accessibility standards.
Construction is sequenced so existing dressing rooms and the concession remain fully operational throughout. No programming impacts are expected.
"We've planned the construction in phases so essential upgrades can happen with minimal impacts to our community programs," Adams said. "We're balancing short-term usability with lasting improvements."
Completion is targeted for late August or early September — before the fall ice season begins.
For construction updates visit getinvolvedlethbridge.ca/henderson-ice-centre-upgrade or call Lethbridge 311.
Sources:
City of Lethbridge, Cool upgrades will modernize Henderson Ice Centre, June 2, 2025 (lethbridge.ca)
City of Lethbridge, Henderson Ice Centre scores big with new dressing rooms, December 4, 2025 (lethbridge.ca)
Get Involved Lethbridge, Henderson Ice Centre Upgrade project page (getinvolvedlethbridge.ca)
Alberta Major Projects Registry, Henderson Ice Centre Modernization (majorprojects.alberta.ca)
Lethbridge Herald, Henderson Ice Centre set for upgrades, June 3, 2025 (lethbridgeherald.com)
Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association, Arena locations (lethbridgeminorhockey.com)
Lethbridge Skating Club, Club history (lethbridgeskating.com)
Southern Alberta, Henderson Ice Centre profile (southernalberta.com)
