Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, Alberta)

Scotiabank Saddledome is a multifunctional indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stumped Park in the southeastern part of the city center of Calgary, the Saddledome Hotel was built in 1983 to replace the “Stampede” corral as the home of the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames, as well as for ice hockey and figure skating in the winter 1988 Olympic Games.

Basic information

Official website: https://www.scotiabanksaddledome.com/ 

Arena capacity: 19,289 spectators 

Address: 555 Saddledome Rise SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2W1, Canada 

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51 ° 02′15 ″ n. 114 ° 03′07 ″ W. 

Year of construction: October 15, 1983 

Cost of construction: 224 million dollars 

Field: 474,000 square feet (44,000 m2) 

Scotiabank Saddledome seating plan

Club places

Flames club places are located in the lower sections of the 115-122 level on the north and west sides of the arena. Sections 115-118 are located at the end, where the Flame shoots twice, and sections 119-122 are opposite the players’ benches.

Club ticket holders will have access to a high-class club lounge with TVs, extra seating and a bar. If you prefer to stay in your place, you can take advantage of food and drinks on site.

Recommended places for guest impressions

Sections 118, 119, 120 and 121:

• Amazing views from the bottom of the seat near the center of the ice;
• Includes club amenities such as access to a private lounge and upscale restaurants;
• Some seats in the first row are located opposite the glass – the perfect place to impress guests.

Recommended places for parties and socializing

Sections 224 and 225:

• Right below these places, there is a fully licensed club in the stadium on the ground floor;
• An ideal place for socializing and drinking while playing;
• Great place to take breaks, or even a little longer to have fun.

Recommended places for great ice views

Sections 113, 114, 115 and 116:

• Great view from the bottom level of the seat;
• On the side where the Flame shoots twice, there are more chances to be near the place where the home team scores;
• Some of the seats in the first row are located opposite the glass; this is a great way to watch the game.
• Find out which bookmaker you can get a sign-up bonus from.

Premium seating

Experience the top shelf

Calgary Flames Top Shelf customers return again and again to take part in this branded hosting. Thanks to the smallest details that our professional staff members attend, you can confidently receive guests, knowing that they will take care of everything. Enjoy fine wine, a delicious dinner and an NHL game with a bottom bowl that you will not get anywhere else.

Red zone coach

An elite evening of entertainment and hospitality awaits you in the Red Zone Experience. Visiting alumni and the Flames translation team, you and your guests will see the Flag of Calgary, as few have ever learned the keys to an evening game with one of the team’s assistant coaches.

Toilet room experience

Go backstage and start a game in which the professionals will cope with the experience of playing Calgary Flames Dressing. Enjoy the reception before the game at the event level in a separate dressing room with a celebrity Calgary Flames. Then watch from your exclusive position how the players take the ice.

Rental of executive apartments

Feel the privacy, comfort and personalized service that only a suite can offer. Whether you are accepting customers, encouraging employees, celebrating a special occasion, or simply planning to meet with a group of friends, give us the opportunity to make your event memorable.

Goal Judge

Before the appearance of the refereeing technology, the NHL left the best view of the house to the judge. Thanks to the experience of Goal Judge, you can take part in the game from these exclusive locations right behind the goalkeeper, enjoying the amenities of the Chrysler Premium Club. Best of all, Goal Judge takes you backstage to meet Flag Calgary after the game.

Captain’s lounge

While playing in the Captain’s Lounge, your group can experience the perfect combination of lounge atmosphere and first-class service. Take part in your lower seats and have fun in your private lounge before and after the game, as well as during breaks.

Ice Experience Center

Get the best gourmet experience with the Center Ice Experience, starting with dinner before playing Center Ice at the Saddleroom Grill, the only à la carte menu at Scotiabank Saddledome. Your balcony seats are located inside the restaurant overlooking the ice, and your dining table is reserved at each break.

Where to buy tickets?

Calgary Flames, Calgary Hitman and Kassa Calgary Rocknex:

Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 17:00

Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00

Sunday Closed *

Ticketmaster:

Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm

Saturday from 9:00 to 16:00

Sunday Closed *

* Flames and Ticketmaster offices are open only on Sundays.

During the Calgary Flames games, the ticket office closes at the end of the 2nd intermission. During the Calgary Hitman games, the box office closes at the end of the first intermission. During the Calgary Roughnecks games, the box office closes at the end of the break. For concerts, the box office closes as soon as the headline performer enters the stage.

Location

The Calgary Flames and Ticketmaster ticket offices are located on the north side of Saddledome, at 14th Avenue and 5th Street SE. The “Only for Events” box office is located on the west side of Saddledome at the entrance of +15 and is open two hours before the events.

Scotiabank Saddledome has issued the following recommendations for people who buy tickets to events at Scotiabank Saddledome via the Internet.

Scotiabank Saddledome encourages the use of e-commerce to purchase tickets for events held at Scotiabank Saddledome. There is only one official website that is licensed to sell tickets online for events held at Scotiabank Saddledome Ticketmaster.

In order to provide you with the best possible service, you will receive your tickets quickly and so that you do not buy fake or stolen tickets, we urge all of our customers to make a purchase through Ticketmaster. Scotiabank Saddledome supports TicketMaster as the only site licensed to sell tickets to Scotiabank Saddledome. Scotiabank Saddledome did not allow other sites to sell, resell or sell tickets at auctions. Caution for the buyer!

Will call

Prepaid tickets purchased by phone or online can be picked up at the Will Call windows located on the north side of Saddledome on the day of the event. Upon receipt, you must present a photo ID and the original credit card used to purchase the tickets.

Flames ticket prices range from $ 40 for a seat in the Sport Chek zone to $ 380 for a seat in the Avison Young section of the lower bowl. According to the Vivid Seats, the average price in the season 2018-2019 is $ 98, and it is in the center of the price of tickets in the NHL that Seddled is worth. To their credit, the Flames have actually significantly reduced overall prices over the past few seasons, which makes this option much more affordable for ordinary people than in other places, such as Edmonton.

It is clear that if the Flame is able to sell the place every night, there is demand. This is a hockey market where fans eat, sleep and breathe Flames and fork out to pay for the privilege of attending the game. But compared to the rest of the NHL, this is not really an outrageous price, especially considering the recent competitiveness of the team.

How to get there?

Parking/Transportation

Scotiabank Saddledome, considered the center of Calgary and the main entertainment center, is just a few minutes from the city center via the LRT (Light Rail Transit) system in Calgary. Parking is also available in the nearby Stampede Park. Scotiabank Saddledome is a 20-minute drive from Calgary International Airport.
Scotiabank Saddledome Parking through 5th Street SE

Access from the north (Memorial Drive):

• Memorial Drive to 4th Avenue (turn right)
• 4th Avenue to 1st Street SE (turn left);
• SE 1st Street to SE 12th Avenue (turn left);
• SE 12th Avenue to SE 5th Street (turn right).

Access from the South (Mcleod Trail):

• MacLeod Trail to 12 Ave SE (turn right);
• SE 12th Avenue to SE 5th Street (turn right).

Access from the west (Bow Trail):

• Route Luka (9th Avenue) to 1st Street SE (turn right);
• SE 1st Street to SE 12th Avenue (turn left);
• SE 12th Avenue to SE 5th Street (turn right).

Access from the east (Deerfoot Trail):

• Deerfoot Trail to Memorial Drive (west);
• Memorial Drive to 4th Avenue (turn right)
• 4th Avenue to 1st Street SE (turn left);
• SE 1st Street to SE 12th Avenue (turn left);
• SE 12th Avenue to SE 5th Street (turn right).

Calgary has one of the most expensive parking rates in North America. Parking on site will cost you $ 15 and, depending on what other events are happening around, can quickly fill up. Worse, as the Stampede continues to expand, new buildings destroy precious parking places. Signs in the area seem to indicate that all parking spaces north of Sedldom are for new Panic Racing buildings in the coming years, which means a steady decrease in the number of parking places.

There are several options for a bit more expensive parking. Several locals rent a parking space in the courtyard, and in the vicinity there is street parking for people who want to walk a bit.

The good news is that the location in the center means that Saddledome is fairly easy to reach from all sides. The bad news is that from time to time it can be frustratingly slow to leave after the game, although in recent years the city has been better at removing traffic from the Dome.

Another option is to use the light rail system in Calgary. The C-Train has two stops on the west side of the Stampede Stadium, one to the south and one to the north end, which has a connecting path that leads you straight to Saddle.

LRT tracks cover a large part of the city from the north and south, and the western part also made the journey from east to west much better. So this may be a more convenient option for fans who don’t want to fuss in the city center, although trains may be very crowded after the events.

However, City Transit continues to expand the C-Train, planning to switch to trains with four cars in just a couple of years.

The cost of an adult ticket to Calgary Transit is $ 3.40, for young people it’s $ 2.35.

Over the past few years, security at the entrance doors to sports fields has steadily tightened, and Saddledome is no exception. They have a reputation for being particularly demanding “professional cameras.” In fact, everything that does not fit in your trouser pocket will be rejected at the door, even if this “point and shoot” device is less powerful and functional than the camera on your smartphone. So be warned and don’t waste your time trying to build your Nikon for $ 100 through the gate.

Once in Scotia Bank Sedldom. You will find that you are dealing with what is usually one of the biggest complaints about the building: the hall is very small by modern standards, which, to put it mildly, bypasses the task. Between periods and after the game, the halls are crowded with people, especially at the ends of the rink.

On the other hand, the addition of tables in the center of the east and west halls distracted some people from the footpaths in the middle of the area, where they could hang out and chat without getting into the stream. pedestrian traffic.

This simple solution did have a significant positive impact.

The queues for restrooms can be insanely long, retreating into the hall and exacerbating a bad situation. If you can avoid this, stay away from the men’s room next to section 209. For some reason, this one seems to consistently build lineups throughout the game. Women’s bathrooms are not much better.

Structurally, it seems, there is no solution to this problem, except for the construction of a new arena. So either Calgary will just continue to fight the thick crowd, or they will find a way to do it.

Where to eat?

A good choice exists in the games Scotiabank Saddledome for Flames. Options for concession stands have been reduced over the past few years, eliminating some of the more exotic stands and focusing on more popular options. But there are still many options.

The main concession stands, each named after the section in front of which they are located, have all the varieties of garden variety that we expect in the arena. Hot dogs ($ 5.25), nachos ($ 7), popcorn ($ 5.75) and popcorn ($ 5.25) can be found in these places. As a rule, you can also buy Budweiser and Kokanee at retail ($ 10.50); in many places there are a few more beers.

Numerous specialized booths throughout the hall. The Dog House serves, you guessed it, hot dogs. For lovers of hamburgers there is a grilled barbecue. At Skyline Deli you can buy gastronomic sandwiches. There are also a few small stalls, such as the Mac Shack, which has several Mac, Cheese, and grilled cheese options, all delicious and very cheesy – Sicilian grilled cheese ($ 9.50) is delicious.

There are also several special stops for adults for drinks located around the hall, so if Bud is not your thing, you still have plenty of places to find something else.

If you are looking for something useful, Jugo Juice is the place to go to the east side of the room. In addition, Vegetarian with It will be a novelty for 2019, a vegan counter on the west side.

You will also find Pizza 73 and The Good Earth Coffeehouse among other franchise locations.

Besides all this, there are several bars and restaurants around Saddledome. Budweiser King Club, Dutton’s Lounge, Saddledome Grill, Iconic Platinum Club (formerly known as Olympic Lounge), Alumni Lounge and Chrysler Club are all located in the building, providing fans with various food options and experiences. ,

Atmosphere

The Flame of Calgary was inconsistent for most of the 21st century, although the situation with the playoffs has been observed for three of the last four years. The current recovery efforts have led to the emergence of a young, hungry team that plays an interesting hockey mark, even if the sequence sometimes shies away from them.

Nevertheless, Scotiabank Saddledome continues to gather sold-out crowds night after night (according to ESPN, attendance has not been below 98%, at least since the 2005–06 season), so there is still considerable energy in the stands. Sport lovers in Calgary are traditionally quite obedient, but over the years it has become more convenient for them to cheer and sing where it is appropriate, so in most cases this place gives a lot of pleasure and excitement on most nights, even at night when the hometown team struggles. The noise level in decibels can reach 105 dBA when the Flame level is about 80 dBA.

The worst thing about the Dome is the crowd in the hall. Before the game, during breaks and after the game, crowds of people crowd, making it difficult to get them.

Neighborhood

The annual crush in Calgary lasts for more than a century. It is held on a large plot of land southeast of the city center of Calgary. Scotiabank Saddledome is located on the northeast corner of Stamped-Stand.

The close proximity to the north, known as Victoria Park, does not have a better reputation in the city. However, over the past few years, a significant amount of gentrification has taken place in the area, and everything is starting to gain momentum, as huge condominium complexes are being built north of Stampede. The same thing happened in the west of the territory. And some of these complexes have a restaurant or bar on the first floor.

If the community continues to gentrify at its current speed, the neighborhood score can improve in a fairly short time.

In the northwestern corner of Stampede, you’ll find the Cowboys Casino, which has several restaurants, including Melrose Café, Center Bar and Zen 8 Grill. It is highly recommended to conduct pre-election celebrations in the Cowboys.

Across the street from Cowboys Casino is Vagabond, which has a menu in which everyone will find something for themselves, a wide selection of beers (over 50 on the list on their menu), and which seems to have made special efforts to satisfy the preliminary and subsequent publication. parties

Heading west from Panic Runs on 17th Avenue. You will find two great options. Naina’s Kitchen at 121 17th Avenue won the 2017 YYC Burger Battle Competition and received rave reviews from several other sources. It is best to book a reservation before arriving here. And Trolley 5, at 728 17th Ave, is a new brewery that makes its own beer and has great food.

For something more upscale, head east to Inglewood and look at Nash. The Nash Hotel is located at 925 11 St. SE, in the historic National Hotel. Try something from the grill bar or go crazy and order roast beef tenderloin for a steak that you will not soon forget.

The fans

Calgary Flames fans are a dedicated group that appears and encourages their team, regardless of whether they win or not. At least in the 2005-2006 season, the Flames attendance was 98 percent or even better.

As is the case with several places in the NHL, there are usually several fans of the opposing team (whoever it is on any evening), proudly appearing in the colors of their team and encouraging their faces. But in general, it makes the game more interesting and gives a good noise from fans.

Additionally

There are some additional additions when you come to see Scotiabank Saddledome.

The walls of the building are decorated with memorabilia, photographs and trophies dedicated to the great teams and events of the past in the Calgary area.Wherever there is space, where there is no room for concessions, you may find a display, assuming that you can reach them through the crowd.

Among these exhibits are an exhibition dedicated to the 1988 Winter Olympics, a wall dedicated to the hockey heritage of Calgary, memorial plaques for the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame, and so on. A new addition is the whole wall dedicated to the recently retired Hot Iginla, perhaps the best player to ever wear a Flames t-shirt.

You will also find several places in the Attic of fan flames for all your souvenirs. The main location is near the main entrance on the west side, with a similar size in the building on the eastern lobby and several small kiosks installed throughout the building.

Harvey The Hound entertains children in the stands while playing their tricks.

Looking at the southern rafters, you will see a large series of banners earned by the Flames in their time in the NHL. If you sit in the upper bowl on the southern tip, you will carefully study these banners.

The music played during breaks on the ice is a good mix of current hits, classic rock, some country music and some good old organ music at the stadium (played by Willie Joosen since 1988), which adds a pleasant aroma “Domed atmosphere.

All the usual distributions and contests that you can expect in a hockey game are mixed with the program during the stops in action.

Another nice feature, which is always nice to see, is that garbage cans are located all over the hall so that environmental lovers can make sure that their garbage does not just fall into a landfill.

Facilities

Saddledome accommodates 19,289 people for hockey and lacrosse with different capacities for other events depending on the configuration of the arena. It has 72 luxurious suites, 41 of which were built at the top of the lower bowl in 1995, and 31 at the top of the second level when the object was built. There are also six party sets at the corners of the upper loggias, which are rented depending on the event. Sections 115 through 122 of the lower bowl form the Chrysler Club and offer concession service in the Flames games.

The Chrysler Club has a separate dining room where you can play Flames games, hold large concerts and private events. Dutton’s Canadian Lounge is a sports bar located at the western entrance to the building. The facility has three additional restaurants: HSBC Saddleroom Restaurant, Alumni Lounge and King Club. Iconic Platinum Club is a 188-seat executive club, available with a purchased membership. It features a private bar and restaurant, as well as a fully functional business center.

Construction

Calgary served Stampede pen for 30 years when Calgary Flame came. With a total capacity of 8,700, Corral was the largest arena in Canada west of Toronto, but then fell below major league standards. Corral was considered insufficient for the National Hockey League (NHL), which led to the fact that Calgary Cowboys from the World Hockey Association turned, and did not hope to become the team chosen to merge with the NHL.

Calgary’s bid to host the Winter Olympics, combined with the arrival of Flame, led to the need to build a new arena. The city council discussed the advantages of several locations for the new Olympic Coliseum of the city and narrowed their choice to two areas in the Victoria Park area in the eastern part of the city center. Also considered were two other sites, one at the western end of the business center, and a late bid by several businessmen seeking to build an arena in the northern suburb of Airdrie.

Victoria Park Public Association fought for the desire to build an arena in their area, threatening to oppose the city’s Olympic bid if necessary. The city council voted to build the proposed arena for 20,000 places on the territory of Stampede, east of Corral and south of Victoria Park. The community continued to struggle with the city for rezoning land to create a new arena amid fears of congestion on the roads in their vicinity, which led to numerous costly delays with the start of construction.In an attempt to end the battle, mayor Ralph Klein asked the provincial government to take the land intended for the arena to bypass the appeal process and win approval.

The province supported the city among public association protests and used infrequently used powers to repeal planning rules that allowed construction to begin. The next day, the builders began building the arena. The International Olympic Committee was impressed by the fact that the project is at the implementation stage, as noted in the official report on the Winter Olympics, which states: “The fact that this facility is already under construction increases confidence in the application (Calgary) and is a positive factor in Demonstration Calgary. commitment to the Games. ”

The object was designed by architects Graeme McCourt. While they intended to design a unique building, the idea of ​​a western theme never occurred to Barry Graham or his team. The roof of the building was designed as a reverse hyperbolic paraboloid, providing free viewing of columns from all seats and reducing the internal volume by up to one third compared to traditional arenas, which leads to lower heating, lighting and maintenance costs. In addition, the floating roof can bend, to compensate for frequent fluctuations in temperature in the city. When the project was submitted, the roof was immediately named saddle. Of the 1,270 applications submitted to the competition to name the arena, 735 included the word “Saddle.” The winner of the competition, Olympic Saddledome, was taken from a hat filled with several similar names on the saddle. At that time, the name received a cool welcome from some, including the Chairman of the Olympic Organizing Committee (OCO) of Calgary, Frank King, who said: “This is not Olympic and not Western, and not even a dome.”

Designers received several architectural and engineering awards for their work at Saddledome and were honored by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in celebration of the millennium of architecture. Saddledome was still considered the world record holder for the length of the longest hyperbolic paraboloid concrete shell. Saddledome was featured on Time magazine cover for an article discussing the city of Calgary and the upcoming one.

Location Saddledome in Stampede Park provides easy access to a system of light rail through the station CTrain Calgary Victoria Park/Stampede, which is parallel to the track McLeod. CTrain Station, BMO Center, Stampede Corral and Saddledome are connected via the Plus 15 crosswalk. Direct access to the vehicle is from the north via 5th street to the east or via the Olympic route.

History

When it opened on October 15, 1983, the Olympic saddle served to boost the morale of the city, which is experiencing a significant decline as a result of the collapse of the international oil market, high interest rates and the national energy policy of the federal government. During the first event, the NHL game between the Flames and Edmonton Oilers, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s standard was the first to cause popular discontent with government policies. The oil workers won the Flame 4–3 in front of a sold-out crowd of almost 17,000 fans.

The initial capacity was 16,605 for hockey, since the upper lodges were not immediately completed. As the Olympics approached, the Calgary organizing committee spent $ 1 million to add more than 2,600 seats to the upper shelves in an attempt to mitigate the scandal caused by the fact that the organizing committee provided its partners and sponsors with a preferential regime when selling tickets. With a capacity of 20016, the International Ice Hockey Federation noted that it was the largest arena ever used in the winter games, and called the facility “the best international rink in the world”

Saddledome was the first arena in North America to accommodate a larger international ice surface (international skating rinks are 15 feet wider than NHL skating rinks). Saddledome reached its maximum capacity of 20,230.

As a result of the renovation, 41 new luxurious suites were added to the upper part of the lower bowl, a club section with 1,172 seats, a new restaurant, extended offices of the Flames, Saddledome management and the Canadian hockey team, as well as a significant restructuring of the public hall. new park structure.

Before its opening, Flames signed an agreement with Canadian Airlines to rename the object. In accordance with the twenty-year agreement worth about $ 1 million per year, the arena became the Canadian airline Saddledome. The arena was renamed again when Canadian Airlines was acquired by Air Canada and ceased operations. Pengrowth Management Ltd. signed a ten-year agreement under which the company received the name Pengrowth Saddledome.

Arena received cosmetic updates. The Flames spent $ 1 million on the Power Ring LED display, which levels the surface of the second level. JumboTron has been replaced by a new high definition board. Made by Daktronics, the display has twelve screens and two LED strips and is called the Enmax Energy Board.