Bettman talks Calgary arena situation: Saddledome maintenance costs a “long-term concern”

The Flames are committed to Calgary. They’re a vital part of the community. I think [Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek] was just quoted as saying, “well, now that the deal’s off, everybody’s a free agent.” I think the club feels OK about that because the deal kept changing on them. I know there’s been a change in administrations but each time [the Flames] made an accommodation to try and deal with things that the city was asking for that weren’t part of the basic deal, the deal kept getting more and more expensive and, frankly, wasn’t what they had agreed to, and, at some point, you have to say, “enough is enough.” If this gives everybody an opportunity to take a fresh look at how to build the building, where to build the building in Calgary, maybe that’s not a bad thing, so, yes. The city’s a free agent, and so is the club, and that’s good.

My only concern, and it’s not a short-term concern but it’s a longer-term concern, the Saddledome needs work, which the city is gonna have to put a lot of money into, and I think the sooner people figure out how to get a new arena, the better it’ll be, particularly because the cost of building a new building keeps going up. These delays haven’t been helpful. But, I know, and I’ve been privy every step of the way to the negotiations, probably more privy at one point when [previous Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi] was involved than some people may have liked, but Flames ownership has tried mightily to get a deal done and to go the extra mile, and I think the city just pushed it too hard, too far, and didn’t make sense.