Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
I'm not fearful of the Flames moving and not going to sound any alarm bells. Calgary is a great market for the NHL.
Could the Flames ever leave though? Of course they could. Go back and look at the Forbes valuation of NHL franchises and arena deals are a key driver of high value. That's why the Oilers are a top 10 valued franchise.
The NFL's Houston Oilers left town and Houston is the heart of football country. How did that happen?
A wingnut owner who fell in love with another market and the promises they were giving him.
Failed attempts to build a new stadium in Houston, in a very public battle with local politicians that played out in the media.
A city that was struggling economically after going through an oil price collapse and they had recently funded improvements to the existing stadium.
A fan base that ultimately turned their back on the owner and stopped going to games.
A league that didn't really get involved and allowed the owner to do what he wanted.
You could see some of that happening here but the situations are quite different. The Flames remain very popular in Calgary.
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I don't see much in common at all. Different league, 40-ish years ago? If you want to find a comparable, look up the road. A lot more in common there.