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Flames future in Calgary


goalie13

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4 hours ago, goalie13 said:

Flames president Ken King dropped a bombshell Tuesday afternoon saying the team owners are no longer pursuing a new arena in Calgary.

The announcement, which included NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, comes one day after Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi revealed that while an arena would be nice, it's not absolutely necessary to his his recently announced vision for east downtown. 

 

http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/09/12/flames-president-ken-king-drops-bombshell-were-no-longer-pursuing-an-arena-in-calgary

 

Personally, I just believe this is posturing.  I also believe that sports teams should build their own arenas.  It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

I, as well!

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8 hours ago, Brad Marchand said:

Daryl Katz did the same thing to the city of Edmonton while pushing for a new arena for the Oilers.

 

It's also no coincidence that King came out and said this a month before Calgary's civic election. Trying to pressure Nenshi into supporting the project.

The timing of this is impeccable, Upcoming Mayor and council election in CGY and Seattle desperately needing an NHL team for their new Arena that 2 billionaires are fighting over who gets to build and finance it..

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8 hours ago, HI5 said:

Wasn't the CalgaryNEXT project in the 800mill plus price tag? 

 

Which is ridiculous

I believe it was an initial $800 million yes.  With taxpayers/Calgary paying for $200 million of that in regards to infrastrucutre/transport etc

 

Vastly different than demanding money just for the stadium.  Doesn't help that little rat Bettman was there stating do it or deal with the consequences either.

 

Imagine Bettman shoving a relocation of Calgary down the NHLs throats about this yet still fighting to keep hockey in the desert.  He'd not survive his next trip to Alberta

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11 hours ago, Warhippy said:

The ultimate irony?

 

Albertans/Calgarians crying about the NDP wasting money and socialism and over spending.

 

Yet taking to numerous threads on news and sports channels claiming hw Nenshi is an idiot and should pony up the cahs to pay for this.

 

Simply put.  Billionaire doesn't get his way and can't use tax dollars to pay for shiny new $400 million arena.  Threatens to take ball and go home.  While Albertans who hate NDP spending cry that the mayor of Calgary and the NDP aren't coughing up cash to build a new arena...

The Flames should fund their own arena, their owners are being greedy.

 

As for your other point, there are a pile of lefties there too, and they are typically loud and whiny. You mention the media almost every media organisation in existence is very left wing so it's not surprising they are taking the stance they are. The NDP has been a complete disaster there as they are here too.

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11 hours ago, Warhippy said:

The ultimate irony?

 

Albertans/Calgarians crying about the NDP wasting money and socialism and over spending.

 

Yet taking to numerous threads on news and sports channels claiming hw Nenshi is an idiot and should pony up the cahs to pay for this.

 

Simply put.  Billionaire doesn't get his way and can't use tax dollars to pay for shiny new $400 million arena.  Threatens to take ball and go home.  While Albertans who hate NDP spending cry that the mayor of Calgary and the NDP aren't coughing up cash to build a new arena...

 

The original proposal was for $890 million, not 400 million and was shut down mostly due to the land development cost.  But the 890 was broken down by:  200 million coming from the owners, 250 million coming from a flames ticket tax which would come off after it's been paid off, 200 million was already committed by the city for their need for new field house and the final 240 was from the CRL.

 

When asked about the Victoria area break down, King said it would look very similar. I see no issue with that.

 

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I saw this in the Hockey News...

 

It’s tough being a small-market team in the NHL. The Calgary Flames play in the worst arena in the entire league and now it appears as though they won’t be able to form a partnership with the city to get a new one built.

Oh, wait…Calgary is one of the nation’s biggest cities and Flames co-owner Murray Edwards is an actual billionaire and one of Canada’s richest men? OK, scrap what I said.

The posturing coming out of Calgary lately is beyond absurd. Team president Ken King used Eric Francis to get his message across loud and clear on Tuesday, saying that talks with Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi were not going well and that the Flames “were no longer going to pursue a new facility.”

 

Full article:  http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/c-mon-calgary-flames-billionaire-owner-can-build-his-own-arena

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It just shows you how out of touch with reality National Hokey League brass are.  They hold themselves up to the public as demigods and are down right bullying when the public is not lining up to shower them with coin and adulation.  The Alberta economy is slow at the moment. Reality.  Tough sell for city and provincial government to cough up the funds for a facility Flames ownership feels they are owed.  Reality.  Calgary is suffering from peni...err...arena envy with Edmonton right now.  Reality. If we had a Conservative now UCP party in power the arena would be in favourable  light.  Reality.  The city is virtually split 50/50 on the arena at the moment it does create McJobs and some economic spin off.  At the moment the Saddledome is unable to suspend the tonnage many bands truck around for their stage shows thus big ticket concert acts bypass Cowtown.  Of course small minded people like Burk and King play the only card they know how to..."I'm taking my toys and leaving, Gary said I can play in his sandbox!"  Pathetic reality. 

Bottom line they will get their new arena paid for by public funds...wealthy owners never spend their own cash. Costs of attending games will rise dramatically further making it difficult for the average joe to attend a game. Reality.

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1 hour ago, Rob_Zepp said:

What was that like?   It all ended before I was a coherent human form.

I think it was kind of a train wreck tbh. But it wouldn't be surprised if part of the player threats during the next lockout is the formation of a new league. I actually think its possible if they run it under a co-op model. 

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9 hours ago, HI5 said:

Wasn't the CalgaryNEXT project in the 800mill plus price tag? 

 

Which is ridiculous

Yep. Some estimates with the Stampeders and a sports complex involved pushed the figure up over a billion.  Hey this is wanna be Texas here in Cowtown we think big here in wildrose country.  Especially when it comes to your dollar.

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12 minutes ago, Johnny Shotgun said:

It just shows you how out of touch with reality National Hokey League brass are.  They hold themselves up to the public as demigods and are down right bullying when the public is not lining up to shower them with coin and adulation.  The Alberta economy is slow at the moment. Reality.  Tough sell for city and provincial government to cough up the funds for a facility Flames ownership feels they are owed.  Reality.  Calgary is suffering from peni...err...arena envy with Edmonton right now.  Reality. If we had a Conservative now UCP party in power the arena would be in favourable  light.  Reality.  The city is virtually split 50/50 on the arena at the moment it does create McJobs and some economic spin off.  At the moment the Saddledome is unable to suspend the tonnage many bands truck around for their stage shows thus big ticket concert acts bypass Cowtown.  Of course small minded people like Burk and King play the only card they know how to..."I'm taking my toys and leaving, Gary said I can play in his sandbox!"  Pathetic reality. 

Bottom line they will get their new arena paid for by public funds...wealthy owners never spend their own cash. Costs of attending games will rise dramatically further making it difficult for the average joe to attend a game. Reality.

the NHL and King doesn't care if the building loses money, they want to be able to lease a shiny new one  (they won't be the owners of it) and if the rest of it is a financial disaster and ends up being taxpayer funded forever then so be it. They don't care about any "fan experience" other than you paying for for $10 beers. There's no reason that barn couldn't serve the team just fine for years, even renovate it a bit and run out its lease. 

 

It won't stop at the original $200 million either, it always goes over and never generates the other projected revenues. Personally i think this is going to backfire, I don't see people in Calgary appreciating the threat. 

 

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14 hours ago, Alflives said:

So the money losing US franchises will stay put, while a solid Canadian team moves to the US?  Ya, that makes sense.  Calgarians should tell the NHL to stuff it.  The league can't survive without the .Canadian teams' revenue.  

They aren't going anywhere, this is all posturing.

 

The team is making an unreasonable request in floating a plan that's currently estimated would cost 1.8 billion for a new facility with tax payers covering about 1 billion of that. That's nuts and completely unrealistic. They would have a hard time getting enough back tax wise, over the life of the building to even get close to covering that type of investment.

 

My guess is that someone will eventually come up with a plan to renovate and upgrade the Saddle, that will be in the 350 - 450 million range with the city kicking in part of it.

 

The guys who own this team are worth billions, they have the resources to get a new building in place if they decide that they are going to self finance it, which is what they should be doing.

 

If they self finance and ask the city for tax credits and share of the increased tax revenue that comes from creating a new facility and the creation of new businesses and residences that will spring up around it, that's a different conversation, and can help them secure the financing that they will need for a reasonable plan.

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53 minutes ago, Johnny Shotgun said:

Yep. Some estimates with the Stampeders and a sports complex involved pushed the figure up over a billion.  Hey this is wanna be Texas here in Cowtown we think big here in wildrose country.  Especially when it comes to your dollar.

Not just Cowtown. Lets not forget we spent 500 million on a roof in Vancouver.

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