Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarongavey
The Flames being unable to sell tickets for chunks of the 2021/2022 season probably had something to do with the revenue situation.
And those are not the stakes, you have as much of an idea of knowing that the Flames would leave as I or anyone else has that a private entity could have built the arena. Puzzling how now is the time they would leave for sure and not 2017.
I am sure if the Arizona deal falls apart where I understand the taxpayer is paying 10% and the owner is paying 90% we could maybe entice Arizona to Calgary for a 30% taxpayer 70% owner paid arena, maybe even better than that.
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Yeah, I don't know for sure - of course.
I do look at yet another failed deal, and the arena now being nearly another decade older...and the Flames having said last time "we'll stay in the Saddledome as long as we can", the time left is shrinking. As I said, I don't personally believe the Flames will sit around through another failed deal.
As far as Arizona is concerned - that's irrelevant to this situation. The NHL clearly wants to maintain that market (large population, so large potential). "We could maybe entice Arizona to Calgary" you're speculating on something that just won't happen. The NHL has gone through great lengths to keep the Coyotes in Arizona - they're not going to all of a sudden say "Hey, that City that doesn't have an arena, a private investor that wants to build an arena on their own dime, nor a government that wants to fund an arena themselves - let's move this team there..even though they just lost one!". The NHL is allowing the Coyotes to play in an NCAA arena - that's how badly they want to maintain that market.
On the revenue front - Toronto ranked 3rd, Montreal 4th, and Edmonton 5th in that Forbes 2022 ranking - so I'm not sure why Calgary would tumble so far when compared to those teams (if it were just due to inability to sell tickets?). The Flames are a bottom 3rd team from a revenue perspective and have been for a number of years if I'm remembering correctly. I believe the last time a deal came out it was revealed that the Flames are now receiving funds from the NHL revenue sharing program.