Calgary Flames reach tentative deal with city for new arena

Ryan Leslie and Eric Francis explain how the city of Calgary may be getting closer to a new arena for the Flames.

Emily Sadler July 19, 2019, 12:37 PM

The Calgary Flames have reached a tentative deal with the city for a new arena, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis has confirmed.

Postmedia was first to report the agreement.

Per the Calgary Herald, city council members will discuss the agreement at Monday afternoon in a closed-door meeting.

No announcement to be made on an arena deal by the Flames Monday, but city council has it on their agenda and will reveal details then. Framework of deal between Flames/city still subject to council vote, so time to celebrate new arena isn’t here yet. But it’s awfully close.

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) July 19, 2019

The new arena in question would replace the Flames’ current home, the Scotiabank Saddledome, which was built in 1983.

Can confirm Flames owners’ investment in the city-owned arena will be significantly more than what Daryl Katz contributed to the arena in Edmonton. Flames would run the arena, which will be owned by the city. Again, the parameters of the deal are all subject to council vote

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) July 19, 2019

Coun. Jeff Davison, chair of council’s event centre committee, said earlier this month that discussions “are productive but they’re not complete.”

“We can’t give an exact date as to when we’ll be back with any information (but) I’m confident if we do bring a plan back, that the public will support it,” Davison told Postmedia.

The cost of a new, 18,000-seat NHL arena is currently projected by the Calgary Municipal Land Corp to land between $550 million and $600 million.

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