What if the Flames cannot play in Calgary for 2013-14?

[undercoverbrother]

If the flames don't play at home, will the nhl do anything to offset the loss of monies from home game.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Hard to imagine them being back in the dome before January.

Want to make a wager?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by CMPunk

Oh I'm not arguing, just don't think it's a viable option, other then the size of the rink. Pro teams don't like giving discount anything, and depending if it's the whole season, or a part season, I don't think many people in Calgary are going to fork out money for games they don't see.

If you're going to maximize ticket sales, would that mean in the smaller rink they'd be charging more then Saddledome prices?

Depending on how the Flames' coverage is, lost revenue from having to play in a smaller facility may be insured. Saskatoon isn't just a viable option, it's the only viable option unless the team wants to locate well outside of its territory.

And yes, obviously, Calgary STHes would be refunded for any and all games not played in Calgary.

[Nsd1]

Originally Posted by LiquidX

Though it is completely unfair to local fans, I would actually like to see the flames play in an nhl-ready city like quebec or hamilton, etc for the year. Strengthen the fan base across the country as well as provide the NHL with contemporary data as to whether or not such a city could support a team. In return, the NHL could pay a portion of the lease on a temporary building, ensuring ownership does not lose gate money. Flames are not going to be pretty next year anyways, but I'm sure ownership would prefer to keep the team close by if at all possible so as not to disturb season ticket holders (though I suppose there will have to be some reimbursement in this regard anyways).

I wouldn't mind them playing in the east. At least they would make the playoffs with 80 something points.

[schteve_d]

I don't think it'll come to that, and I certainly hope not, but if the Flames can not play at home for any length of time the only place that makes sense is The Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. Really it wouldn't be all that bad given the circumstances.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

If the flames don't play at home, will the nhl do anything to offset the loss of monies from home game.

I suspect (hope) the flames have some sortof business interruption insurance that should cover some of the business losses.

[Nittmo]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

I don't think it'll come to that, and I certainly hope not, but if the Flames can not play at home for any length of time the only place that makes sense is The Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon. Really it wouldn't be all that bad given the circumstances.

The Credit Union Center in Saskatoon is the best and closest option. It seats 15500, was recently upgraded in all facets to accommodate the world juniors in '09, has all the technical infrastructure for broadcasting, and plenty of private boxes, and as an added bonus, is high and dry and far away from the river.

Saskatoon is a city with a lot of money in it these days as well, and I think they could sell 9-10 thousand seasons tickets.

[Ashasx]

Fans better be gifted the 1st overall if this happens.

[Sylvanfan]

I would think the Blades would want a huge bit of compensation though if the Flames were to just come on in for a season. Ultimately I think it's a non issue, if the Saddledome is Structurally sound, they don't have to have it restored 100% to start the season. A functional scoreboard and game clock is all they need. Repairs to fully restore the facility can be ongoing into the season. So long as the seats are there, and the building meets code and safety standards they can use it.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Mccree

I suspect (hope) the flames have some sortof business interruption insurance that should cover some of the business losses.

not always that straight forward

[MrCallahan]

I'm willing to bet that the NHL will front a lot of money to help make sure the Saddledome is ready for home opener.

They did this for the Heritage Classic, if McMahon Stadium was missing something that needed to be in place in time, the NHL just sent in their own guys and fronted the cost immediately. Not sure if the Flames had to pay for it in the end, but the NHL played a big part in getting McMahon ready, and I can see them doing the same thing for the Saddledome.

That being said, I'm sure that would depend on the damages. Structural damage could make them look for possible alternatives.

[PeteLFan]

We are not moving or playing temporarily in another city.

If anything we will start the season on the road for 10 plus games maybe, and considering the new awful divisions it might be a bit easier to do so then in previous years.

You could do a California road trip to start the season along with Phoenix if they still have a team maybe do a double header like this year where we played la Saturday and Monday in la, which I think they are planning to do anyways.

Come back to Vancouver head to Edmonton to close it out with a easy win and the open up the dome.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

not always that straight forward

I agree but they still should have some

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

Shouldn't we change the team name from the Flames to the Calgary Floods?

Just a terrible, terrible joke. Not offended or anything, but that was just...bad.

[LiquidX]

Originally Posted by Nittmo

Saskatoon is a city with a lot of money in it these days as well, and I think they could sell 9-10 thousand seasons tickets.

I don't think they would have to sell season tickets ... the team would only have to play there until they were able to return to the dome.

On a separate point, I don't really understand the "keep the team close" mentality that's recurring in some of these posts.

- From a player's perspective when you're apart from your family, it doesn't matter if it's 200 miles or 2000. There isn't much difference between the two in the midst of an NHL schedule where games can be back to back or have only a single day in between; there isn't enough time between games, practices, and team meetings to be able to insert 2+ hrs travel time round trip and still allow for visits of any length. On longer breaks in the schedule, the team would likely return to Calgary anyway.

- From an owner's perspective, it's not like keeping the team close will ensure ST are happy and able to attend games, or cost them less money to operate. I mean really, how many times would you drive even as far as Edmonton to see the flames play? Consider that adds several hours to your outing for each game.

It's likely the NHL will amend it's schedule an have a long road trip at the start of the season if the dome isn't projected to be ready anyway. So assuming the team will have to start the season with a long road trip or switch their home rink elsewhere for the short term, what is the benefit of keeping the team close to Calgary, or anywhere in the west for that matter?

[WilderPegasus]

Originally Posted by LiquidX

On a separate point, I don't really understand the "keep the team close" mentality that's recurring in some of these posts.

...

It's likely the NHL will amend it's schedule an have a long road trip at the start of the season if the dome isn't projected to be ready anyway. So assuming the team will have to start the season with a long road trip or switch their home rink elsewhere for the short term, what is the benefit of keeping the team close to Calgary, or anywhere in the west for that matter?

It keeps the team closer to any divisional opponents and more importantly it keeps the team in their regional territory. That way they don't have to encroach on another team's territory and worry about compensating them for that. Plus it keeps the team's home games in the correct time zone for broadcasting purposes.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by LiquidX

I don't think they would have to sell season tickets ... the team would only have to play there until they were able to return to the dome.

On a separate point, I don't really understand the "keep the team close" mentality that's recurring in some of these posts.

- From a player's perspective when you're apart from your family, it doesn't matter if it's 200 miles or 2000. There isn't much difference between the two in the midst of an NHL schedule where games can be back to back or have only a single day in between; there isn't enough time between games, practices, and team meetings to be able to insert 2+ hrs travel time round trip and still allow for visits of any length. On longer breaks in the schedule, the team would likely return to Calgary anyway.

- From an owner's perspective, it's not like keeping the team close will ensure ST are happy and able to attend games, or cost them less money to operate. I mean really, how many times would you drive even as far as Edmonton to see the flames play? Consider that adds several hours to your outing for each game.

It's likely the NHL will amend it's schedule an have a long road trip at the start of the season if the dome isn't projected to be ready anyway. So assuming the team will have to start the season with a long road trip or switch their home rink elsewhere for the short term, what is the benefit of keeping the team close to Calgary, or anywhere in the west for that matter?

If they play somewhere temporarily a factor will be ticket sales and how much $$ they can recoup. As a short term location Saskatoon is better because they have a base of Flames fans there already, they would flock to NHL hockey knowing it was short term. You can't say the same for Seattle, Kansas City or some other locations.

Other factors would be the amount to lease the arena short term and conflicting dates. I am willing to bet the rink in Saskatoon will be cheaper than locations in bigger centers to lease and will likely have less events.

[Flamesguy_SJ]

What about the possibility of splitting Rexall with the Oilers? It keeps the team relatively close to the fans, there will still be a ton of walk-up tickets purchased because of the amount of Flames fans in Edmonton anyway. Maybe it's not doable because of the Oil Kings and the NLL team, but would it be possible to move them to an alternate location and split ice time between the Oilers and Flames? If Staples Center in LA can house the Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Sparks (WNBA), an Arena Football League team and an NBA D-League team all at once, surely Rexall can fit two NHL teams?

[Table 5]

This is such a silly debate to be having.....we might as well be discussing Stanley Cup parade routes for next season. The Dome will be just fine when the season rolls around. it might not be perfect, but it will be usable. The Flames have stated as such, and so does common sense. Moving the team to Saskatoon, or any other place, seems likely an infinitely bigger logistical headache than not having a Jumbotron for a few weeks.

[Phil Russell]

And as a silver lining, with the Jumbrotron down, maybe we will get some good old fashioned organ entertainment again. Maybe the trumpet guy could come out of retirement.