Well, the development permit application for the brand-new arena for the Calgary Flames have been submitted to the City. And via our friends at the City, we have our first detailed look at what the new barn will look like.
For all the “event centre” chatter, it’s primarily designed as a hockey arena. There’s an ice plant. There are many, many locker rooms. There’s a spot for a zamboni to park. It’s an arena.
But it seems to be much more purposefully-designed than the Saddledome. The ‘Dome was built in the early 1980s before hockey teams were resourced the way they are now, and the Flames having all their off-ice recovery equipment, coaches’ offices, management offices, locker rooms and whatnot crammed into the Saddledome is a lot like raising a family in a one bedroom apartment.