[Senator Clay Davis]

Almost 50% want the city to stand firm, even if it means the Flames leave town.

Following weeks of sparring between Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Flames president Ken King, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, 47 per cent of respondents in a new poll say city hall should stand firm in the arena fight, even if it means the Flames pack their bags and leave Calgary.

The debate recently hijacked the municipal election campaign, when King at a news conference with Bettman said the hockey team was no longer pursuing a Saddledome replacement with the city.

“At some point, there will be consequences that will have to be dealt with,” Bettman said.

At the Sept. 12 news conference, the NHL boss also urged Calgarians to speak out on the issue before the municipal vote on Oct. 16.

“You need to make your voice heard if you think the city is moving in the wrong direction,” he said.

Forty-seven per cent of respondents who participated in a Mainstream Research/Postmedia poll for the Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun say the city “should stand firm on its commitment to get the best arena deal for taxpayers,” even if that means the NHL team moves away from Calgary.

Thirty-nine per cent of people who answered the interactive voice response survey on their cellphone or landline said they don’t think the city should stand firm, while 14 per cent of the 1,000 respondents weren’t sure.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...f-flames-leave