July 22nd: While it remains a tentative deal, the Flames, the annual Calgary Stampede festival, and the city of Calgary have agreed to terms on a new “public sports and entertainment event center”, the team has announced. The estimated $550MM complex will be split evenly between the team and the city with additional support from the Stampede. It will also serve as the home to the WHL’s Hitmen and the Roughnecks box lacrosse team, and will serve to attract a variety of other concerts and shows. The new complex will be owned entirely by the city of Calgary and the Flames will bear all operating costs. However, the team will take what they can get when it comes to a much-needed new arena at only 50% of the construction costs. This agreement is subject to a week-long public comment period before it is again brought before city council for a final vote on July 29th.
July 19th: Though there is still a lot of work to be done, the Calgary Flames and the city of Calgary have reached a tentative deal for a new arena according to Meghan Potkins of Postmedia. The deal will be brought to city council on Monday.
The Flames have long been fighting for a new arena in Calgary as the Scotiabank Saddledome is now more than 35 years old making it one of the oldest rinks in the NHL. In September 2017 after a charged battle with mayor Naheed Nenshi, Flames president Ken King announced that the team was “no longer pursuing a new facility” complicating the future of the team. It was clear the team couldn’t continue to play indefinitely in the Saddledome, but it looked like any arena talks were dead for a long time.
In May 2018 the city voted to open the discussion again and now it seems as though they have taken another step in the right direction. More information will obviously come next week, but Potkins reports that the new arena is projected to cost between $550MM and $600MM. Getting a new arena is crucial to the Flames moving forward and staying in Calgary, something that the NHL is obviously supportive of.
i know every nhl arena has to be downtown in most areas but i really think it would have been wise for the flames to have moved to Balzac (2min north of calgary). With the expanding of calgary’s transit already potentially going near their plus you have 2 major highways right there it just makes sense, more people from AIrdrie, Cochrane and Red Deer would be able to make it along with having infrastructure right there as well with 2 malls a casino and hotel right there as well. besides the rate airdrie and calgary are expanding the 2 places will join soon enough making the arena technically in calagry anyways
The WHL’s Stampede? I think you you mean the WHL’s Hitmen and the Stampede (as well as the Roughnecks of course).
You think it would have been wise to move the new arena north of the city? City transit (c-train at least) doesnt reach the airport let alone north of the city. So people cant have a few cold ones at rhr game unless they have a DD. Then you are alienating the fans to the fastest growing part of the city, the south. Now they have to drive 1 hour + to get to Buttfucknowhere just to watch a game. Then an hour plus back. Have you seen the issues Ottawa and Phoenix have had because their arenas arent in a central location? Good luck with that. Then add the fact that you expect the Stampede group to foot a percentage of the bill for an arena of no use to them. Good luck with that.
Gotta love sticking it to the Calgary taxpayer to fund a play-palace for millionaires and billionaires. Do people not read the studies that prove sports venues add very little economic activity to a municipal area?
If those propaganda reports were actually accurate, then nobody would build an arena or stadium anywhere. No City would build one, no owner would build one…there would never be one built. If it was never economical for anyone, what would be the point. This is for revitalizing dormant areas for more investment; revenues for concerts, games, events, parking; promotion for your city as a viable investment opportunity; and tax and infrastructure investment to the city.
If the city lends money or invests themselves, the deal just needs to make sense. There is more to this then just tax money used to build for rich people.