NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the Calgary Flames鈥� financial situation 鈥渃ontinues to deteriorate鈥� as the team continues to operate out of the aging Scotiabank Saddledome.
鈥淭his building, in its time, was a work of art. Its time is long past,鈥� said Bettman, speaking to reporters in Calgary as part of his Western Canadian tour. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 build buildings like this anymore.鈥�
Bettman listed a lack of amenities for fans and players as well as opportunities for ownership to generate revenue among the many shortcomings of the building, which opened in 1983.
He said it simply doesn鈥檛 compare in any way to Rogers Place, the new home of the Edmonton Oilers, which opened up last season.
鈥淗ave you been up the road to Edmonton? Do you see a difference between the two buildings? You know the answer to the question.鈥�
Bettman added that Calgary concert-goers are losing out too.
鈥淚 was told (Thursday) that there were 27 acts, some of them multiple days, that have played in Edmonton since the building opened that haven鈥檛 played here. That goes to the quality of life of the city and that鈥檚 an indication as to the differences in the buildings.鈥�
While Bettman said he wasn鈥檛 in town to make threats, he painted a bleak picture of the Flames鈥� financial future if it continues to operate out of the NHL鈥檚 oldest building.
鈥淭he team鈥檚 competitive situation, financial stability, is obviously being impacted with each season that they stay here,鈥� said Bettman. 鈥淭hey used to write a cheque for revenue sharing. For the last couple years, they have been receiving cheques. The cheques are getting bigger.鈥�
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has said the Flames鈥� proposal for a $500-million arena places a heavy tax burden on the city, but the Flames say the city鈥檚 plan would ultimately see the team foot the entire cost of construction.
Currently, neither side is talking with the team having said publicly that they have abandoned pursuit of a new building and that they will remain in the Saddledome, doing the best they can for as long as they can.
鈥淓verything I鈥檝e heard, (Calgary鈥檚 ownership group) sees no reason to have any discussions,鈥� Bettman said, adding he agrees with the team鈥檚 position. 鈥漈hey tried, they thought they were on a path, they actually had a proposal on something akin to Edmonton that would take a part of the city and transform it. A part of the city right now where the land is blighted and unusable, and ultimately nothing got any traction.鈥�
Bettman was involved throughout the process in Edmonton, working with then Mayor Stephen Mandel and owner Daryl Katz in helping get the deal done. He has no such involvement in Calgary.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 dance unless you鈥檙e invited to the dance. I haven鈥檛 been invited to this dance,鈥� said Bettman with a smile. 鈥淚 can consult with the club, I can work with the club, we can discuss their situation, we can explore options 鈥� if and when 鈥� but there鈥檚 nothing really for me to do here.鈥�
In other hockey matters, Bettman spoke about the successful season season-ticket drive that started in Seattle on Thursday. Deposits for the minimum 10,000 season tickets were received in 12 minutes. By the end of the first hour, they had reached 25,000 deposits.
鈥淭hey have begun what looks like an amazing expression of interest,鈥� said Bettman. 鈥淥bviously, that鈥檚 one of the many factors that we have to evaluate as we go through the expansion process.鈥�
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He added that process is still in its infancy and there are still many steps to come for the Seattle ownership group.
鈥淭here are some boxes we have evaluate and check before the board gets anywhere close to having to make a decision.鈥�
Bettman also touched on the NHL鈥檚 absence from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea, which he reiterated as a 鈥済ood decision鈥�, saying it won鈥檛 impact the league鈥檚 potential participation in 2022 in Beijing, China.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to predict what鈥檚 going to be in the future,鈥� said Bettman. 鈥淲hile we鈥檙e very focused on helping to build the game of hockey in China, in Asia, I鈥檓 not sure whether, or if, participation in the 2022 Olympics is an essential or important part of that.鈥�
The commissioner also expressed his satisfaction with the league鈥檚 current playoff format. Through the 1980s, 16 teams made the playoffs in what then was a 21-team league. The league is now 31 teams and the quantity of teams that make the post-season has not changed.
鈥淭he regular season is compelling, exciting, unpredictable and we have great races,鈥� said Bettman. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have teams that make or don鈥檛 make the playoffs by a point or two. I think what we鈥檝e got now is pretty good and I believe most of the clubs feel the same way. 鈥�
Calgary is one of the teams in a playoff races. They sat one point out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference with 17 games to go heading into a Friday night game against the visiting New York Rangers.
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Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press
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