Richards is right. I'd be worried about the long term viability of the Flames as well. It becomes a downward spiral. Players don't want to play in an old rundown arena and the value of the product goes down when you can't keep talent. The public doesn't want to spend money on something with a low product value. Once that cycle starts, it's difficult to break. And the more tedious the future gets, you will see a gradual decrease in fan engagement.
Stringing together a few winning seasons where the team either won a Cup or became a contender, would go a long way to getting a new arena. The only other option is to build on hope by getting a phenomenal young talent, like what happened in Pittsburgh. Edmonton would count as well, even though the decision to build Rogers came before they got McDavid, they were successful in building hope and hype for the future.
A crappy building isn't the only issue, but it might very well be the straw to break the camel's back.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
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