The Calgary Flames have a complicated arena situation, which could make them an intriguing relocation candidate.
Expansion and relocation are all the talk in sports lately. In the last 10 years, fans have seen the NHL expand to 32 teams (Vegas and Seattle) and relocated the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg to become the Jets. Yet, season after season relocation rumors swirls around some of the league’s weaker teams. One such team that has been frequently brought up for relocation is the Calgary Flames.
The Flames are no stranger to relocation as the franchise relocated from Atlanta in 1980. The reason for the move was largely attributed to low fan attendance as the Flames averaged only 10,000 fans per game in 1979-80.
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But attendance doesn’t seem to be the problem as the Flames ranked eighth in attendance last season with 18,905 fans a game, which was higher than such teams as the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Saddledome
When the Flames relocated from Atlanta, they spent three seasons in the Stampede Corral before moving into the Scotiabank Saddledome in 1983. The Saddledome, named for its saddle-shaped roof, is currently the third oldest arena in the NHL behind Madison Square Garden which has been renovated and upgraded over the years and Nassau Coliseum which was built in 1972.
The Saddledome was renovated in 1994 at a cost of $56.3 million. This included 41 new luxury suites, bigger offices, expanded concourse, and a new restaurant but since then has become obsolete by modern standards. The arena, which seats 19,289 had been deemed ‘embarrassing’ by Flames former President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke in 2014 for its dilapidated concourse and the small amount of lower bowl seating. Other complaints range from poor restrooms to the lack of amenities offered.
The Issue
For the better part of the last decade, the Flames have pursued a new home in Calgary. Those talks with the City of Calgary came to a screeching halt last September when the team’s ownership group, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, announced they were no longer going to attempt to push for a new arena in Calgary.
The proposed 19,000 seat arena would come with an estimated cost of $1.8 billions of which two-thirds would come from the taxpayers. The new arena would be part of a bigger project title “Calgary NEXT” which would include a new football stadium for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders and an indoor fieldhouse for various sports. This project would be located in downtown Calgary alongside the Bow River.
Relocation
Having left the negotiation table with the City of Calgary, the NHL is left with only one realistic option to save the Flames franchise and that is relocation. The last time an NHL franchise relocated was 2011 when the then Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg to become the Jets.
Since that time the Jets have gone on to two playoff appearances in their five seasons in Winnipeg which from the outside makes that move a success. Relocation has been talked about in recent years for the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes and even the New York Islanders.
While Florida and Arizona are still very much possible candidates for moving cities, the Islanders recently broke ground on a new arena near Belmont Race Track and the Carolina Hurricanes have given assurances to Raleigh to keep the team in Carolina all but eliminating relocation from their futures.
The announcement of Seattle as the leagues 32nd franchise and given the realignment plan for the league in their inaugural season limits the options of where the Flames can look for potential suitors. The franchise would have to stay in the Pacific Division to keep all the divisions at eight teams each.
Possible Suitors
Having to keep the team in the Pacific Division the franchise would have to relocate to a city in the Western Conference. The ideal location would be in Houston which would keep the team in the Western Conference and could hypothetically still stay in the Pacific Division.
Houston is favorable in the fact that an owner in Tilman Fertitta, and a more updated arena in the Toyota Center which was built in 2003, is already in place. Fertitta has even gone on record about his desire to own an NHL team.
The Toyota Center, which is home to the NBA’s Houston Rockets, seats roughly 18,100 people for basketball games would require some upgrades in seating as It only holds 17,800 for ice hockey. This arena also offers top of the line amenities, various restaurants, and private bars, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard which makes the Saddledome that much less appealing.
Portland is another possible site as hockey is big in the Northwest. Portland’s junior hockey team, the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, are a staple of the WHL having appeared in the Memorial Cup Finals 4 times in the last 10 seasons. Portland would present a possible issue though in getting approved as it would be within close proximity to the Seattle franchise who will undoubtedly attempt to gain a foothold in the Portland market.
While the Flames and the City of Calgary are not currently negotiating on a new arena for the team things can always change. The Flames definitely need an updated facility and soon. While relocation is never a popular decision the NHL may be left with no choice if it intends on maintaining the Flames organization.
Cities such as Houston and Portland could possibly help rejuvenate the franchise in terms of gameday experiences and revenue. Time will tell what the future holds for the Calgary Flames.