Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, is in Calgary where he met with Flames president Ken King and campaigned for a new arena.
Bettman and King met over breakfast on Wednesday where they likely discussed the arena as well as other topics.
The commissioner was in Edmonton on Tuesday, where he toured Rogers Place, the Oilers’ new arena that opened at the beginning of this season. He called the facility ‘phenomenal’ and said the Calgary Flames would need a new place to play to match it.
The CalgaryNEXT proposal is still struggling to get off the ground and Bettman said there are still a lot of questions concerning that project.
“Obviously the discussions haven’t moved forward enough that they’ve got a set of plans they’re pursuing. I don't know that they have an exact location yet. I don’t know that they have a financing framework or exactly what the scope of the project is.”
The city’s hockey team wouldn’t be the only reason Calgary needs a new arena.
There has been a history of musical performances that have passed on the city because the Saddledome couldn’t support their act.
People in Calgary are itching to have a new arena, saying that we have one of the oldest buildings in the entire league right now.
“I hear even for acoustics the arena sucks,” one man said. “All the good concerts happen in Edmonton, so we definitely need a new arena.”
“Have you been to the Saddledome? It’s terrible,” said a woman. “It’s been here for so long that we definitely need a new arena.”
As for finances, CJAY92 has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for the new stadium. The radio station has set a lofty goal of $1B.
