It’s time for a new chapter in Calgary’s entertainment sector. The city of Calgary hosted a live event Monday afternoon officially revealing the design renderings for their new event center, which will be known as Scotia Place.
The project is expected to start construction today and is aimed to be ready for the 2027-28 season. The event center will be the new home for the Calgary Flames, Hitmen, Roughnecks, and Wranglers. The arena is costing about $926 million and will include a main arena, community rink, event plazas, and a parkade. Capacity for the main building will be about 18,000 and will be located two blocks away from the location of the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The design was inspired by a “fire and ice” theme, integrating the heritage of the city and Indigenous peoples to symbolize Calgary’s vibrant community spirit. Moreover, consultants prioritized collaboration with Indigenous communities, ensuring that elements of nature like fire and ice were incorporated into the final design. At the reveal, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with numerous members of local Indigenous communities, were in attendance, emphasizing the significance of this collaborative effort.
The final result is a modern, sleek building that will boost Calgary’s entertainment industry. While the Dome has been an iconic part of the city’s history since 1983, an upgrade is much needed for the future.
New Arena Another Reason For Excitement For Flames’ Future
The last few years in the Saddledome will host a young and emerging Flames team. It’s the perfect time for the organization to embark on a rebuild as they make a transition to Scotia Place in three seasons.
The consensus among Flames fans is that the team will be competitive by the time the new arena opens. This is a reasonable prediction as the team likely will use these next 2-3 seasons to embrace the rebuild fully. They also aren’t going to engage in a full tear down, as the Flames still value their remaining veterans for mentorship.
Accumulating draft capital and bringing in young players is still the plan for management during these next few years. Hopefully, by the time 2027 roles around, The Flames will have a team that’ll be ready to take the next step, assuming the rebuild phase goes according to plan.
