It’s a celebration of history made and history lived.
Forty-four years of memories, from the National Hockey League to the 1988 Winter Olympics to just about every kind of event that could be held beneath its Saddle-shaped roof.
But for the Calgary Flames, this winter is about more than goals and assists, blocked shots and fancy stats. It’s also a season-long celebration of the Scotiabank Saddledome; one final send-off before its successor – Scotia Place – opens its doors across the street.
Every Calgarian has a memory of an evening spent at the ‘Dome, which opened its doors in 1983 as the new home of our city’s NHL entry and welcomed the world five years later. A Flames game, a concert during Stampede season, moments etched in memory, the nostalgia emanating from the ‘Dome’s concrete walls and maroon, blue and green seats.
But this year, each event brings us one step closer to that eventual goodbye: A Farewell Season to send the Saddledome off into the sunset.
For Steve Edgar, director, Marketing at Calgary Sports & Entertainment Corporation, there’s a special kind of symmetry into this final Saddledome campaign. Months, even years, of anticipation for some special event nights.
Buildings come and go, storefronts and restaurants open and close, but for Edgar and his marketing team, this Farewell Season is a closure to commemorate; a unique opportunity to capitalize on the cachet brought on by a place so rife with marquee moments.
“We looked at the schedule and said, ‘Wow, we have 44 home games, our 42 in the regular season and our two in the preseason; we have 44 years to celebrate,’ Edgar says. “What a nice, happy coincidence that is. We love the idea and we love leaning into it.
“The final regular season game is going to be big. The final battle of Alberta. Everything across those 44 games, there’s some finality to it. Everything will be the last time, and that’s how we want our fans to experience this farewell celebration.
“It’s not just about one game. It’s 44 opportunities to come here and say goodbye to this amazing icon in your own way.”
And Calgarians have leaned into the nostalgia.
That final regular-season game, a Saturday night contest on April 10 against the Vancouver Canucks, sold out in minutes when tickets became available. Flames players and coaches alike have commented about the ‘juice’ they envision feeling from the Saddledome faithful.
Then, there will be the celebrations. The team plans to host a ‘1989 Night’ commemorating the Flames’ Stanley Cup triumph. A similar ode to that 2004 squad, who came within a whisker of giving Calgary its second Cup, is also in the cards. The Flames have even announced a throwback red sweater paying homage to that 2004 team.
But aside from those two special groups of players – teams that captured Calgarians’ hearts and minds, giving their undivided attention to every face-off, every bodycheck – Edgar figures many of those former Flames from bygone years will also stop by, hoping for one last look before the Saddledome shuts its doors.
“I’m sure there’s probably a lot of guys who played here who want to come back one last time,” Edgar says. “We’ve already engaged members of our alumni on gathering their memories on video as part of our content plan, that we’re excited to roll out across the season. And no doubt, we’ll have them out more and more. Some former players are coming on their own.
“We’re going to try and capitalize on those opportunities and those stories, and we’ll no doubt have a lot of our alumni here this year, whether it’s theme nights throughout the year or that final closing ceremony. They’re such an important part of the memories that were built in this building; having the guys who were there and lived it to tell those stories is very powerful.”
But what about fan sentiment?
In Edgar’s community conversations, there’s one emotion, one feeling that stands out about saying goodbye to a piece of Calgary that’s been part of so many memories.
“The overwhelming sense I get is ‘bittersweet,’” he says. “People love this building. It’s been a part of our lives for 44 years. We’ve grown up in it. Whether you’re from Calgary or not, you’ve had memories in this building. It’s almost been like a family member to so many of us for as long as we’ve been coming here.
“It’s part of our vernacular, part of our skyline. We identify with it as Calgarians. What it means, the Western hospitality, the saddle shape, you know, it was built to welcome the world. We are very proud of it, because we’ve got to call it ours, and Scotia Place will be the same. It’s going to be ours, and unmistakably, uniquely Calgarian, and a new icon for us, but no doubt bittersweet to say goodbye to one that all of us have so many memories in.”
It’s perhaps no coincidence then that Edgar’s team chose the song ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony,’ The Verve’s 1997 chart-topper, as the soundtrack to their season-opening video, which launched to immediate acclaim (and, admittedly, some waterworks from fans) before the final ‘Dome opener that happened on October 1. We all struggle with goodbyes, and while this one involves concrete slabs and a reverse hyperbolic paraboloid roof rather than a living, breathing entity, it’s just as much of an adieu to a part of us.
“Everyone has their own relationship with this building, whether they worked here for 17 years, grew up here going to games, closed a business deal here, met their husband or wife here, watched their son playing an NHL game here,” says Edgar. “That really is the emotional pull for this building.”
That emotional pull extends beyond Calgarians. Visiting fans and stadium enthusiasts are likely planning their trips, too. Popular sports YouTubers Snapback Sports visited the ‘Dome last spring and in their recap, they urged fans to come here and experience what the Saddledome has to offer before that opportunity fades into the ether. This Farewell Season for the Flames has thrust the dear old ‘Dome into the wider conversation, turning up the wattage on that shining light displaying everything Calgary and its surroundings have to offer.
Then there’s the visiting media, who night after night, shared reels and stories about the famous Saddledome catwalk. Suspended high above the playing surface (and atop the video board hanging over centre ice), it’s a conduit for broadcasters and writers to reach their respective perches, while also testing the elasticity of their knees.
All kidding aside, it’s those small, unique details that make the ‘Dome what it is. An icon of a bygone era, an ode to our community’s history. And when the time comes for the 44-year-old structure to close its doors for the last time, the roar of the crowd, the ‘tink’ of vulcanized rubber striking a goalpost, the ovation leading to an encore by a concert headliner, those moments will stay in memory.
Until then, Edgar urges everyone to tap into those memories, to visit the Scotiabank Saddledome one last time to say farewell.
And breathe it all in.
“We’ve got a lot of great nights to come here and remember this place, and not just with the Flames,” says Edgar. “We’ve got the Wranglers. We’ve got the Hitmen. We’ve got concerts. We’ve got the Roughnecks. You can book a tour.
“Take an opportunity to spend some time in the building and remember it for all the good times that you had in it.”