Calgary Flames Monday Roundtable: New Arena Edition
By Ramina Shlah
![Nov 12, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Scotiabank Saddledome prior to the game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports Nov 12, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Scotiabank Saddledome prior to the game between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/e6527b7bcd10b4ff3a74e1e12aa43f0300bab6d6e4f0425e3a1cce5296351543.jpg)
Question 3: If worse comes to worse and the Calgary Flames do end up relocating, how soon do you think Calgary would get a new team?
Jonathan Boulanger
I’d like to think pretty soon after. Like I said, Calgary’s fan base is one of the best in the league, and I find it hard to believe that the NHL would jeopardize that.
Alex Hoegler
In a parallel universe — if the Flames were to move — it would hopefully only take three to five years. Commissioner Gary Bettman would feel horrible about taking this team away from a great city and fans, so he’d feel inclined to get them back ASAP. But again, the Flames aren’t relocating.
Dan Raicevich
The hardest question of the day. This could be years, even decades. You rarely see the NHL go back to cities it moves from. Small markets like Calgary, even harder. Atlanta didn’t get an NHL team for nearly 20 years. Winnipeg had to wait 15 years to get a team to relocate there. Denver waited 13 years to get a team to relocate there. Quebec City has been waiting 22 years to get a team back, and they still do not have one.
It would be years, and I mean YEARS to get a team back in Calgary.
Ramina Shlah
Like Alex said, it’d definitely be three to five years. I think they would probably build a new arena first and that would take a few years, but then that sort of defeats the purpose of them relocating in the first place. I don’t think a relocation will happen, but it wouldn’t be too long after that Calgary would get a new hockey team.