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Flames roasted for lame Saddledome locker room

olivier neven
Writer
·3 min read
The Calgary Flames have had a rollercoaster of an offseason with some major trades and signings, but the hockey world are talking about the team for a whole other reason now. (Getty Images)
The Calgary Flames have had a rollercoaster of an offseason with some major trades and signings, but the hockey world are talking about the team for a whole other reason now. (Getty Images)

The Calgary Flames have had one of the wildest offseasons for a NHL franchise in recent memory, but after a plethora of big trades and signings, they're now being talked about for a completely different reason.

On Saturday, the Flames welcomed one of their summer additions, defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, to the Scotiabank Saddledome for his official unveiling. The team posted a video of Weegar entering the dressing room and walking over to his new stall, where a fresh jersey sporting his name and number was waiting for him to put on for the first time.

While Flames fans celebrated the image of their new star sporting the red and gold, the video drew a lot more attention for the arena's very bland home locker room.

The hockey world was quick to roast the boring digs and call for some much-needed renovations.

The Scotiabank Saddledome opened in 1983 and has been the Flames' home arena since, seeing them win the Stanley Cup in 1989. It is one of the oldest arenas in the league and the oldest in Canada, prompting speculation around potentially moving the team into a new building.

However, talks over a new project have broken down between the team and the city after the parties had an agreement in July 2019 on a $600 million facility that was to be built near the Saddledome.

Despite the lack of clarity over the future of their home rink, the Flames look primed to contend for the Stanley Cup again, only weeks removed from a disastrous start to their offseason. Superstar forward Johnny Gaudreau chose to leave Calgary in free agency after 602 games with the club, followed by young star Matthew Tkachuk notifying the front office he would not sign a long-term deal to remain with the organization.

With the future of his team crumbling around him, general manager Brad Treliving pulled off what seems like a masterstroke, trading Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for a package including Weegar and Hart Trophy candidate Jonathan Huberdeau, who promptly signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension.

In addition, Calgary managed to secure the services of top free agent Nazem Kadri on a seven-year, $49 million deal, trading veteran forward Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens to create the necessary cap space.

Fans may not be impressed by the Flames' facilities, but the product on the ice will undoubtedly be must-watch television.

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