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April 13, 2009
Calgary, Edmonton arenas declared "dated"
If you're wondering how old you have to be to be considered "antiquated," the Canwest News Service has an answer for you:
It has born three different names in its 26-year history and has even been compared by U.S. media to a potato chip, but Calgary's iconic Saddledome is earning yet another tag: old.
The home of the Calgary Flames is "nearing the end of its life cycle," according to the Canwest report, and the Edmonton Oilers' Rexall Place, born the same year as Alanis Morissette, is "even more dated." While neither team is currently in serious talks for new arenas, the rest of the article is dedicated to investigating who will pay for what's deemed the inevitable, with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on hand to declare, "For their future well-being and for the comfort of their fans, both teams need new arenas." Actual fans seem less certain.
Here's a link to the actual story:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/setting+Alberta+Rinks/1488917/story.html
It's quite a nice business fluff piece for the Flames and Oilers. My favourite line is:
"Extra dollars snared from the top seats would allow more people to attend games at a lower cost."
Yeah, we all know that's how it works.
Posted by Greg on April 14, 2009 09:23 PM
Whoops, did I neglect to put in a hotlink? My bad. Thanks, Greg.
Posted by Neil on April 14, 2009 10:45 PM