The city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, is restarting talks with the NHL Flames about building a new arena, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The Calgary Flames have played for 39 years in their current home, the Saddledome, the second-oldest NHL arena behind New York’s Madison Square Garden.
A previous deal that was agreed upon in 2019 collapsed in 2021 when the estimated cost of the project rose and the Flames withdrew, the AP reported. Calgary officials hired third-party negotiators in January to resurrect the project.
“All parties share a collective desire to see a new event center constructed in Calgary. We look forward to discussions with the city to see if we can find an acceptable path forward,” Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp. president and CEO John Bean said in a statement released by the city, as reported by the AP.
The city envisions building the new arena on a parcel of land north of the Saddledome as part of a revitalized commercial and residential district on the east side of downtown.
