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Originally Posted by jayswin
It was an Arizona special in terms of helping them out that's for sure. Imagine if the Flames said they'd play in the Centrium in Red Deer (7k seats) for 3-5 years while an arena deal is finalized and then built?
You think the league steps in and okays that?
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Poor comparison. The ASU Arena is not 90 miles from Phoenix.
If the Saddledome had collapsed before the Corral was demolished, you may be quite sure the league would have allowed the Flames to play temporarily in the Corral again rather than force the franchise to relocate. No doubt they'd have required massive renovations to bring the place up to code, just as the Coyotes are apparently putting a lot of money into ASU to meet league standards for issues other than seating capacity.
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Originally Posted by jayswin
No, not comparable. You can't go back the 80's. I mean many teams in the league were playing in 11-13k arenas back then. So the direct comparison would be a team playing in a 14-15k arena while everyone else plays in 18-21k.
The Islanders just finished playing in an 11k (actual viable seats) at Barclay and the revamped Nassau Coliseum (13k). Winnipeg plays in a 15k arena permanently.
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So the Islanders were approved to move into an 11,000-seat venue which was supposed to be permanent, and Winnipeg is playing in a 15,000-seat venue that actually is permanent… but you can't compare with the 1980s because there are no arenas that small now? Oooookay.
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Maple Leaf gardens was 12k capacity for perspective.
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When first built, yes. After several renovations, capacity topped out at 16,316. It was still at that number when the Flames moved to Calgary.
Joe Louis Arena was the biggest in the NHL in 1980, with 19,275 seats. It would still be one of the biggest.