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PBR Canada National Finals Return to Edmonton, Alberta and Rogers Place on Nov. 11-12

By: Kacie Albert

EDMONTON, Alta. – For the second time in history, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will hold the Canadian National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, in Edmonton, Alberta, with the season-culminating event, part of the elite Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, returning to the state-of-the-art Rogers Place Nov. 11-12 when the 2022 PBR Canada Champion will be crowned.

All season long, riders have the opportunity to compete at dozens of Cup Series and Touring Pro Division events across Canada to earn points towards the Canadian national standings, all in an effort to be the No.1-ranked cowboy at year’s end and earn the coveted PBR Canada Championship.

The 2022 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, will again pay out a record $175,000, including a $50,000 bonus to be awarded to the 2022 PBR Canada Champion.

The bull riding action for the 2022 PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, begins at 7 p.m. MDT on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12 at Rogers Place.

Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, March 25 at 10:00 a.m. MST, and start at $30, standard fees may apply. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca.

The 2022 slate of events marks the seventh season for the PBR Canada Cup Series as a unified competitive series traveling across the country and broadcast on TSN.

Last season, when the PBR Canada National Finals debuted in Edmonton, Rogers Place played host to the event that punctuated one of the most exciting, and historic, battles for the PBR Canada Championship in history.

After a dominant season, including four event wins across all levels of competition and a victory in one of the division’s special 5/5 Bucking Battles, Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) entered the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals with a firm grip on the No. 1 ranking in the race for the 2021 PBR Canada Championship, and accompanying $50,000 bonus.

However, a groin injury initially sustained at the final regular-season event of the year proved too much for Buttar to battle, inevitably sidelining him from competition on the last day of the campaign.

With the title decided on the final outs of the year, 2018 PBR Canada Champion Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan) mounted an incredible come-from-behind surge, erasing Buttar’s 53.66-point lead, to conclude the year No. 1 in the nation, capturing his second career national championship.

The Saskatchewan contender clinched the title, and his share of the record $175,000 purse paid out at the year-end event, with an impressive 89.5-point ride aboard annual PBR Canada Bull of the Year contender Finning Lil Shorty (Flying Four Bucking Bulls).

Coverchuk is now one of just three riders to have won the coveted PBR Canada Championship in multiple seasons, joining the likes of two-time titleholder Lambert and three-time Champion Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan).

A complete list of PBR Canada Champions include: Buttar (2020); Daylon Swearingen (2019 – Piffard, New York); Zane Lambert (2017 and 2013 – Ponoka, Alberta); Ty Pozzobon (2016 – Merritt, British Columbia), Tanner Byrne (2015 – Prince Albert, Saskatchewan); Stetson Lawrence (2014 – Williston, North Dakota); Aaron Roy (2012, 2010 and 2008 – Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan); Tyler Thomson (2011 – Black Diamond, Alberta); Beau Hill (2009 – West Glacier, Montana); Tyler Pankewitz (2007 – Warburg, Alberta); and Scott Schiffner (2006 – Strathmore, Alberta).

In addition to Coverchuk’s electric performance, fans at the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals were also captivated by a flawless Swearingen. Going a perfect 4-for-4, Swearingen won the 2021 PBR Canada National Finals, becoming just the second rider in league history to win the prestigious year-end event multiple times. Prior to 2021, Lambert was the lone rider to achieve the feat, winning the event in 2016 and 2017. Swearingen first won the PBR Canada National Finals in 2019 en route to also earning the year-end championship.

Swearingen capped his outing inside Rogers Place with a ride that won’t soon be forgotten. Remaining in perfect harmony with Happy Camper (Two Bit Bucking Bulls), Swearingen took the striking bull to the whistle for 91.5 points – the top-marked ride of the 2021 season on Canadian soil, clinching the event win for Swearingen and propelling Happy Camper to the 2021 Canadian Global PBR Canada Bull of the Year honor. The first bovine athlete in Canadian history to be anointed the PBR Canada Bull of the Year multiple times, Happy Camper, who first won the honor in 2018, earned the 2021 title and accompanying $10,000 bonus after concluding the year with a 45-point average.

Other past PBR Canada National Finals event winners include: Coverchuk (2018); Lambert (2017 and 2016); Brady Oleson (2015 – Blackfoot, Idaho); Roy (2014); Schiffner (2013); Pozzobon (2012); Dusty Ephrom (2011 – Kenossee Lake, Saskatchewan); Harve Stewart (2011- Stephenville, Texas); Mike Lee (2010 – Decatur, Texas); Guilherme Marchi (2009 – Tres Lagoas, Brazil); Jock Connolly (2008 – Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia); Vince Northrup (2007 – Davidson, Saskatchewan); and Brian Canter (2006 – Randleman, North Carolina).

The PBR Canada National Finals, presented by Command Tubular Products, is the ninth and final event of the 2022 PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, the nation’s first-ever cross-country, nationally televised PBR series.

The elite Cup Series features Canada’s top bull riders, alongside some of the PBR’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls in North America.

At the 2022 iteration of the PBR Canada National Finals, four riders will be seeking history – Coverchuk, Buttar, Lambert and Roy.

If Buttar were to again win the title, he would become the fourth multi-time PBR Canada Champion in history. Should Coverchuk or Lambert earn their third Canadian Championship, they would tie Roy for most national titles held by one rider in league history. If Roy were to earn his fourth national title, he would further solidify his standing as one of Canada’s greatest bull riders ever.

Stay tuned to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest event and broadcast schedule, results, news, stats and more.

All PBR Canada events are subject to change, planned in accordance with directives issued by relevant government and health authorities given the evolving regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

© 2022 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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