Plans to replace the Saddledome, built in 1983, agreed to with the city and province
In the aftermath of his team’s season coming to an end, Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar opined about the team’s off-ice situation.
No, it wasn’t about the need for a new general manager to replace the now-departed Brad Treliving or about the club’s head coach Darryl Sutter.
“I think we need a new rink,” Weegar said while talking to the media on April 14. “Maybe that’ll help. The Saddledome obviously's got some character. Maybe a couple updates could make it look a little bit better.”
Weegar apparently is due to receive his wish, and a new arena may be completed while he is part of the team.
The Flames, City of Calgary and Province of Alberta unveiled on Tuesday an agreement in principle for plans to build a new arena, along with a 1,000-seat community rink (which would also be a practice rink for the Flames), parking structures and plaza — both covered and uncovered — on the eastern edge of the downtown core near the location of the Saddledome.
There is no timeline yet for breaking ground.
The budget for the event center, including infrastructure, transportation improvement, and other costs, is $1.22 billion. The arena itself is pegged at $800 million.
The City of Calgary is to contribute $537.3 million, while the Flames would contribute $356 million and Province of Alberta is to contribute $330 million. There is also a land-swap component with the Calgary Stampede Board.
The contribution from the Alberta government would be contingent on approval after a provincial election May 29.
Built in 1983 in anticipation of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, the Saddledome is officially the NHL’s second oldest building, behind only New York City’s Madison Square Garden. However, the home of the New York Rangers was originally built in 1968, but received a US$1 billion renovation that was completed in 2013.
The next oldest NHL buildings are the Honda Center in Anaheim and San Jose’s SAP Center, both completed in 1993. The Saddledome will be torn down upon completion of a new rink.
Flames president and CEO John Bean said a new building would put the city back in the rotation for both the draft and All-Star Game.
Pushes for a new arena in Calgary have been floated for more than two decades and in various iterations. The team presented a plans for an arena and field house for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders (also owned by the Flames) on the west end of the downtown in 2015, and that was rejected.
The Flames and City came to another agreement near the Saddledome in 2019, but that deal fell apart amidst rising costs and which entity was responsible for them.
“This time we have laid out everything that needs to be done,” Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said.