Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
I was only able to catch part of the live streaming of the speech but a few of the things that stood out for me was this.
1) The hardcore sell job being done by the NHL shows me there appears to be significant pushback from specific members of city council and or the planning commission.
2) I am not sure the specific comparisons to the revitalization of cities like downtown Edmonton, Detriot and Washington, DC are exactly accurate. The current Stampede grounds and surrounding areas although not pretty, are not filled with decaying buildings, poor safety records and economic dead zones.
Further to that, the current West Village and area is currently a bus station and a few car dealership. A few blocks in either direction is some of the most expensive and highly sought after real estate in Calgary. Areas like Kensington, Scarborough, Sunalta etc are not in the same category as downtown Detriot or downtown Edmonton.
There was some talk about hosting large-scale events such as the NHL draft, All-Star games etc and how the "dream" to do so doesn't match the reality of the current state of the Saddledome. Call me naive but has the process of selecting teenage hockey players change that much in the 15/16 years since Calgary hosted the draft in 2000? I mean players and their families sit in the stands, management and coaches sit on the floor in tables and chairs and the media are in various parts of the building. Wouldn't the fact that the Dome was built to have Olympic-sized ice ( a rarity in NHL buildings) and the fact that large sections of the lower level being able to be folded and placed away give us an advantage to having a larger floor surface to have media and NHL team reps ?? I am in favor of a new building in the future for the city 100% but the notion that downtown Calgary and the Saddledome not being "viable" to host an NHL draft is offensive. Last time I checked we have 4 star hotels, a safe and clean downtown area and the Dome has a roof and "world class" electricity. The last comment was made tongue in cheek.
In any event those are a few of my thoughts from the 15 minutes or so I was able to listen.
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I cannot imagine this speech being any different than the ones he has spouted in other cities. A new building obviously benefits the NHL as a business.
In the end, he spoke about what he could. ASG and draft as carrots. The "longterm viability" as a stick. Finally, the "lets get the city behind this". He also noted how much people in Calgary want this!
No mention of the economics, the proposal or any of that; but, really, that isnt his job to sell us on the financials. He's here to sell the emotional aspect of the NHL and the Flames.