Calgary needs new hockey arena to replace Saddledome, NHL commissioner says

As the Calgary Flames took on the Dallas Stars for Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the time has come to replace the Saddledome with a new hockey arena.

“Well obviously this building is a little bit past its prime, to say the least,” Bettman told Sportsnet’s Ryan Leslie in an interview Tuesday.

“The Flames, the city of Calgary, the people who live here, whether it’s for concerts or family shows or for hockey games, there needs to be a new arena and I remain hopeful that it will become a reality.”

When asked if there has been any update in talks to move a new arena deal forward, Bettman said things have to be rebooted if any progress is going to be made since negotiations derailed recently. Bettman also held a media availability where he was asked about hosting NHL events such as the all-star festivities in Calgary.

“If we are going to hold any league events here, there needs to be a new building. I don’t think that comes as a surprise to anybody,” Bettman said. “And you see the difference, I assume some of you have been up the road. I actually lived in the bubble there [in Edmonton] for three weeks or so. What is standard operating procedures in buildings is different than it was — how old is this building, 40 years old?”

Bettman adds he was in the Saddledome during the 1988 Winter Olympics and described it as a “different time.”

After the game, the NHL commissioner was briefly stuck in an elevator with members of the media. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis says the elevator has a history of failing when there are too many people on it, and it was a moment where the Saddledome really showed its age.

“It was not a pleasant situation,” Francis said. “It ended about a minute later, but it was punctuated by the commissioner saying, ‘you guys really do need a new building.'”

Francis adds, as someone who is in the Saddledome frequently to report on the Flames, that he agrees with the NHL commissioner.

“I go to arenas around the National Hockey League and I see all these incredible rooms that are there for press conferences, for the acts, the bands, whatever the case may be, the facilities there are plentiful they have everything that you would need to put on a world-class event,” Francis said.

“In Calgary, it’s just so limited down in the bowels of the arena, you can just see right then and there how antiquated it is compared to the rest of the League. It’s actually quite shocking.”

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Meanwhile, Bettman said it was fantastic to see the C of Red and the energy from fans was great.

“We’re getting back to normal, and I think everybody is craving normal,” he said.

Bettman added he’s glad to see the NHL playoffs back to a level similar to what was seen pre-pandemic after adhering to public health restrictions across North America for an extended period of time.

“We needed to come together to deal with what — for everybody, not just the sports world or hockey — but everybody has dealt with a very difficult two years and it’s great to be looking at the other side,” he said.