‘It takes an army’: Calgary Saddledome one of the busiest arenas in NHL

The Calgary Saddledome is one of the “busiest buildings in the NHL,” according to staff for the arena, with concerts, a lacrosse team, and three levels of professional hockey.

With all the events happening, workers in the facility are taking it in stride.

Calgary’s beloved event centre is busier than it was in 2021 with the arrival of the Calgary Wranglers, the city’s newest hockey team.

Susan Darrington, vice president of building operations at the Saddledome, says her staff works all hours to prepare the building for whichever event is in the Saddledome.

“It takes an army to activate this building as much as we’ve been doing,” she said.

Darrington and her team got word at the beginning of July that the Calgary Flames’ American Hockey League (AHL) Affiliate would be moving from California to Calgary. She said they all took a deep breath and began preparing to welcome home the building’s fourth professional team.

“Everyone wrapped their arms around it and embraced it,” she said. “There’s just a general excitement to be able to be delivering at this level.”

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The Saddledome has transformed into a 365-day, 24/7 facility between concerts, sporting events, and practices. On the odd occasion when there are no teams changing the rink surface or preparing for an event, the building is deep cleaned.

That busy schedule has catapulted the Saddledome near the top of a list of busiest buildings in the NHL, which is in close company with two prestigious buildings.

“I’ve been hearing from some people at the (National Hockey) League, and we are now the third busiest building in North America,” Darrington said. “Madison Square Garden in New York, being number one, and then Crypto.com in L.A. with the Clippers and the Lakers and the Kings.”

New arena for Calgary in the air

‘We’re busy all night long,’ says Susan Darrington, VP of Building Operations for the Saddledome in Calgary on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. The Saddledome hired more than 600 additional staff this fall to prepare for the ‘Dome’s four professional teams that call the building home. (Jillian Code, CityNews photo)

The Saddledome is turning 40 in October 2023, and it is one of the oldest buildings in the NHL with decades of memories forged inside the walls.

Rumours of a potential new arena have been ramping up and slowing down over the past few years, with the City of Calgary making way for more conversations with the groups involved.

The city and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) formally re-entered talks in October after the initial deal fell apart in late December.

After the estimated project cost rose, CSEC, which owns the Calgary Flames, withdrew.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also sent a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek, among others, to see how the province can help. She said the Saddledome is done and cannot compete with other leagues.

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Amid conversations about a new arena, Darrington says the team isn’t distracted. Instead, they focus on helping Calgarians create new memories to last a lifetime.

“I think it’s really rewarding to focus on being in the Saddledome right now and create the best experience we can for Calgarians,” Darrington said. “We’ve got something for everyone right now.”

She says the Saddledome has turned into a hotel of sorts, taking reservations as they host four professional sporting teams and their opponents.

Darrington says they call it “dressing room Jenga” as staff created a makeshift space for teams to dry their hockey gear, clearing space for whichever team will occupy the room next.

“We also have a conversion crew that’s in here overnight, and they’re turning the building from ice to concerts to turf to ice,” she said.

Converting the ice to a concert stage can take upwards of eight hours, with teams working overnight to ensure the space is ready.

“Kane Brown is this weekend at 7 p.m., and we’ll play hockey the next day at 2 p.m.,” she explained.

Darrington says Calgarians of all ages have been supportive of every event the Saddledome hosts, and it has been great to welcome back smiling faces into the stands.

“There’s an appetite in Calgary right now for sports and entertainment. It’s so amazing to see people back out after the pandemic, so we’re going to try to deliver something for everybody.”

-With files from Joey Chini