[News] Ken King: Flames' owners no longer pursuing new arena with City of Calgary

[SmoggyFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Thanks Eeyore.

No problem, Pooh. Yaknow what is damn exciting though? The red mile! That crazy event that brought us together that magical spring in 04. C'mon guys. Wouldn't it be depressing if we no longer had that?

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by dino7c

If it was "all about the money" the owners would have moved on a long time ago

The Calgary Flames have not been a good investment

This is dumb.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by dino7c

You guys can criticize the owners for tactics that is certainly fair...but greedy?

nah, there are far better investments out there if all they cared about was the money

As it relates to moving the team, what is it about if not money?

[FireGilbert]

The Flames are obviously hoping Nenshi is not re-elected and some comments here say the same thing. Is their actually a possibility he could lose the election? I thought incumbent Calgary mayors were pretty much guaranteed to win unless there was a major scandal?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle

17th Avenue and Stephen Avenue would be ghosts towns without the Flames.

That's a fair bit of hyperbole. 17th Ave bustles all summer without the Flames. I've worked there for the last year. It's busy on non-Flames nights in the winter. Do you know what you're talking about? 17th ave is literally one of the busiest parts of the city for restaurants and bars regardless of whether the Flames are playing. I guess you've outed yourself as someone who doesn't go out regularly.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Again .... Olympics. If the city wins, they are likely ponying up some money. Article suggesting their chances look decent.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/c...-bid-1.4174924

If it has already taken years, what is another 6 months to a year, when the city is interested in a facility and in a different negotiating position?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Barnes

It is the second most used library system in the country. It has one of the lowest per capita funding in Canada. There was 6.2 million visits in 2015. In that same year, Calgarians attended 14,655 programs and borrowed 16 million items. 66% of the City of Calgary have a library card.

If you're so good at 'finding' books online, one would think you could find this information just as easily.

I don't see the 6.2 million visits you speak of anywhere. I did see the 16 million items used and that's spiffy. Now thanks for pointing out the statistics for all of calgary. If you could find ones relating to the specific library I mentioned I would be most pleased. Guess what it doesnt. This new library isn't magically going to produce an additional 6.2 million visitors.

If reading comprehension is difficult for you I would be glad to find a book for you to read. For free. From home.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by SmoggyFlamesFan

No problem, Pooh. Yaknow what is damn exciting though? The red mile! That crazy event that brought us together that magical spring in 04. C'mon guys. Wouldn't it be depressing if we no longer had that?

I mean, it ended over a decade ago, so we no longer have it.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

As it relates to moving the team, what is it about if not money?

They want what they believe to be a fair deal

you can agree or not agree with what they consider to be a fair deal. If all they wanted was money, their money would be better invested elsewhere

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

The Flames are obviously hoping Nenshi is not re-elected and some comments here say the same thing. Is their actually a possibility he could lose the election? I thought incumbent Calgary mayors were pretty much guaranteed to win unless there was a major scandal?

Oooh let's invent one. I know, the mayor goes out of town and grabs an Uber...

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by dino7c

They want what they believe to be a fair deal

you can agree or not agree with what they consider to be a fair deal. If all they wanted was money, their money would be better invested elsewhere

They're going to charge more for tickets, drinks and food, probably more for parking, and have more luxury boxes, because it's not really all that much about the money.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

If you could find ones relating to the specific library I mentioned I would be most pleased.

You want usage stats for a library that isn't open yet?

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

They're going to charge more for tickets, drinks and food, probably more for parking, and have more luxury boxes, because it's not really all that much about the money.

Unlike the city the Flames apparently don't want to be paid back for their contribution to the arena costs, so it must not all be about the money.

I mean, how dare the city expect to recoup an investment.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

That's a fair bit of hyperbole. 17th Ave bustles all summer without the Flames. I've worked there for the last year. It's busy on non-Flames nights in the winter. Do you know what you're talking about? 17th ave is literally one of the busiest parts of the city for restaurants and bars regardless of whether the Flames are playing. I guess you've outed yourself as someone who doesn't go out regularly.

He specifically said January, not summer. 17th AVE is dead all winter without a Flames game boosting its numbers. And yeah, I know what i'm talking about. A lot of my clients are businesses on 17th Ave and rely on the Flames to drive their winter revenue. I bet half the places on 17th disappear within a couple years if the flames left.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

They're going to charge more for tickets, drinks and food, probably more for parking, and have more luxury boxes, because it's not really all that much about the money.

And they haven't even pretended it isn't only about money. King and Burke etc are on record as explicitly saying it is all about making the team more profitable, albeit often under the guise of pumping some BS about making the team more competitive.

CSEC has been pretty clear that they want us to help grow their investment and our return on this investment is the pride and joy we get from calling this team "ours" and getting to watch them play. Now, when they say "ours" they mean it in a figurative sense and one that requires frequent financial contributions.

Unfortunately unlike other companies I own, like the big banks, the flames don't pay dividends, at least not monetary ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan, but lets not pretend like we aren't just helping line their pockets in exchange for entertainment. Difference is other forms of entertainment, like movie studios, don't beg me to pay for new ways for them to make money off of me.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

That's a fair bit of hyperbole. 17th Ave bustles all summer without the Flames. I've worked there for the last year. It's busy on non-Flames nights in the winter. Do you know what you're talking about? 17th ave is literally one of the busiest parts of the city for restaurants and bars regardless of whether the Flames are playing. I guess you've outed yourself as someone who doesn't go out regularly.

Its certainly busier on Flames game nights

Tuesday in January Vs. Tuesday in January with a Flames game there is a large bump

[Tinordi]

If you're sitting on the internet complaining about libraries you should probably reevaluate your life.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Or maybe you are?

They have access to public feedback on an almost perpetual basis, so I doubt they are clueless to sentiment.

I guess we'll find out, won't we? But I have a feeling Nenshi and City Council have better polling data than the Flames. The circles Edwards, King, and friends travel in - even season ticket holders - are hardly representative of Calgary citizens as a whole.

[direwolf]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but here are some reactions from a few of the players.

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...new-arena-woes

“The hope for the players and being part of the city, you want a new rink and what Edmonton has,” said Flames veteran Matt Stajan.

“It’s a little bit of a shock, and it’s disappointing, but hopefully, we’ll end up getting what we all want.”

And that’s a new rink to replace the 36-year-old Saddledome, which not only fails to attract concerts and produce the revenue modern buildings generate but does little to help attract free agents here.

“I just experienced this is Arizona – I can’t imagine the uncertainty affecting this market as much as it does down there in terms of getting players to come, but down there it was a problem for some guys,” said defenceman Michael Stone, who re-signed with the Flames this summer for three more years.

“I guess it’s kind of shocking and disappointing, not just for us but for everybody in the city that wants this to happen. It’s disappointing for everybody who sees what other cites are getting. I think everybody still has hope something is going to get done.”

“I wouldn’t say shocked — more disappointed, as I’m sure everyone else is who is interested in sports and entertainment,” said Flames forward Mikael Backlund.

“I read a little about it in the spring, so that’s why I’m not shocked, because I knew this could happen. Now it doesn’t look good, but hopefully, they’ll get a new arena here.”

Flames forward Kris Versteeg, who hails from nearby Lethbridge, says he didn’t want to comment much as it was up to others to figure out.

Teammate Dougie Hamilton agreed.

“Honestly, I don’t pay too much attention to it,” said the Flames defenceman.

“I just try to play hockey. It’s not for us to figure out where we’re playing – we’re just trying to put our best performance on the ice and play hockey on whatever ice is there.”

[GGG]

I want to see the numbers each side offered. I think there would have been a deal to be made with the 200 mill the flames were kicking in plus a 250 mil ticket tax. Howver Kings comments that the ratios of funding remained the same suggests the flames offered less than they would have for CalgaryNext.

Even if you want the flames to stay the best deal the city can make is at least 2-3 years away. The day before they are ready to move is when the city should sweeten the offer. Stay strong Calgary, there are more teams than NHL markets.