Flames’ new arena in Calgary earns praise from NHL commissioner after construction visit

The Calgary Flames’ new arena project is drawing praise from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after he toured the construction site on Tuesday.

Bettman visited the future home of the Flames, known as Scotia Place, alongside NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and members of the team’s ownership group.

The $1.2 billion event centre is currently under construction and is expected to open in the fall of 2027.

“The building, by the way, is a lot further along than it looks, because you see the steel coming out of the ground, it doesn’t go all the way around,” Bettman said during a media availability at the nearby Scotiabank Saddledome, according to CTV.

“There’s interior work already going on below the ground that you don’t see. Actually, when I drove up today, I was surprised when I saw it from a distance. ‘Oh, that’s all that was done.’ And then I was surprised when I got into the construction site. I thought, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of work going on here, and it’s much further along than it looks’”, he said .

“They’ve taken that into account and they’ve been able to look at best practices in terms of the layout,” Bettman said.

“The new arena’s twice as large in square footage (as the Saddledome). It has more bathrooms. It has more amenities. It’s just going to be incredible.”

“This building has been well thought-out and as a result, it’s going to work very well for its intended purposes”, he added.

The arena could also play a role in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey if Calgary and Edmonton’s joint bid is selected.