The Calgary Flames are set to begin their farewell season at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday. The Saddledome celebrated its grand opening 43 years ago in October 1983, and the Flames’ 2026-2027 season will be the team’s 44th in the venue. “It’s absolutely astounding,” said Susan Darrington, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) chief venues and entertainment officer. “This building has been loved and cared for.” On Tuesday, members of the media were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic venue. Walking down one of the entrances to the ice level, you can see the delineation in the colours of the concrete from the 2013 floods. “When the floods came to Calgary, they came in through our two loading dock doors,” Darrington said. “In 69 days, we were able to turn the Saddledome around and bring the public back in.” At ice level, one of the first stops is the Ed Whalen Media Lounge. The area is reserved for press conferences before games, but has different uses during concerts. “We recently had Bruce Springsteen here. Anyone who’s played in the Saddledome, this is where their family eats, it’s where they host their family meal,” Darrington said. “All of the best names in entertainment have at one point come through Calgary, and this is where we host them.” Down the hall is the Broadcast and Production room, the site where the scoreboard is run from and CSEC content is edited. “It’s sort of a combination of office space and control room for production,” said Carlo Petrini, senior director of broadcast and production for CSEC. “But the new building, we’re going to have a lot more space.” Stopping by the ice, the names of season ticket holders have been placed underneath the centre ice logo for the Flames’ farewell season. The farewell logo can also be spotted throughout the ‘Dome. The tour stopped at the ice plants, the department that helps ensure the ice is smooth for NHL games. “18,000-plus people come in here,” said Calgary Flames engineering manager Richard Gurney. “They heat up the building. That heat gets absorbed by the ice, and we have to deal with it.” Upstairs is the alumni lounge. When the building originally opened, it was the Olympics Lounge. Inside, pictures of Flames’ captains over the years are sprinkled throughout. During COVID-19, the area served as a workspace for several months to help with social distancing measures. The tour continued, with stops at the broadcast booth and upstairs audio room — the site for the goal horns. The tour wrapped up with a walk across the infamous catwalk. “If you ever get stuck out here during the goal, plug your ears,” said Steve Edgar, director of marketing at CSEC. Ahead of the Flames’ farewell season, the franchise will be handing out 20,000 farewell t-shirts on Thursday. To celebrate 44 seasons at the venue, the team is playing 44 games at the ‘Dome this season, including two preseason games and one extra regular season game. “We’re really latching onto 44 years, 44 games. Using the season in its entirety to really celebrate this building,” Edgar said. “We’re going to have 44 stories, one each night to celebrate memories that happen in here — whether that’s Flames, Hitmen, Wranglers, Roughnecks or concerts or the Olympics.” The Flames final Saddledome game is April 10, 2027, against the Vancouver Canucks.
