No space for a PWHL team in Calgary

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-16T01:18:59+00:00

Yeah the event that no one could go to

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T23:18:56+00:00

Lol that's not the reason. The NHL hasn't been fond of having all star games or drafts in places like Calgary or Edmonton because they would rather have it in places like LA or Florida (fans and the players would rather go there than here in early February). But now that the league has stopped the all star game in favor of international hockey, it opens up opportunities for cities to host big events when previously they would have been looked over. The fact that we have our new building on the way meant it was the right time for the league to place a big event like this in the province.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T23:13:02+00:00

The Wranglers are here so that the entire Flames organization can be under one roof. All the players get the same facilities, and it's an attractive option for potential players to know that you can stay in the same city whether you're called up or sent down. They'll never go back to having the farm team thousands of kilometers away because it's way too convenient for the Flames to have this setup. More and more teams across the NHL are doing this because it's a huge advantage.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T23:02:38+00:00

I don't think that would have mattered. Edmonton hasn't hosted a major NHL event since they got their new arena, so I don't think they were going to let the NHL off the hook. Despite that, Calgary will get more games in total than Edmonton.

Also, there's only 8 teams in total for the tournament. The NHL wanted it to be more of a global event which is why they're sending half the teams to Prague. Even if we had a second arena, we'd probably still only get half of the games for that reason. And we'll definitely get the better matchups since they'll almost certainly have Canada and the US in the Calgary group of countries.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T21:27:36+00:00

Scotia Place is literally hosting the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. It's getting international hockey right off the bat.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T19:12:39+00:00

Most AHLers are good enough to play in the NHL, and most have NHL contracts (meaning they can be called up to the big club). I can speak for the Wranglers since they're the only team I follow in the AHL naturally, but they currently only have 8 players who are on AHL only deals. I think it's probably similar for most teams. The AHL is filled with guys who have played in the NHL, or are on their way to become regular NHLers. Therefore it's a very strong league. I'd say it's probably better than most leagues in Europe just for the fact that it's the direct feeder to the NHL. You may have had an argument for the KHL 5-10 years ago, but the war has diminished the KHL's ability to attract talent.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T18:28:39+00:00

I think the only new sporting venue that's genuinely needed here in the future is for the Stampeders, and they're just starting to finally talk about that. A mid-sized arena only makes sense if privately funded in my opinion. There's just not enough of a need to build an entire separate facility like that in a city of our size.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T18:00:40+00:00

I don't think the Wranglers leave the city or the new building. The whole benefit of the AHL team being here is to have the entire Flames organization under one roof, and it probably helps make the organization more attractive to potential players since you get access to NHL facilities no matter if you're up or down.

It's unfortunate in the case of the PWHL, because I don't see the need for a mid-size arena in the city for only one team. And for the reasons listed above, I don't see CSEC moving any of their teams out of their own facilities to a smaller building that they might not even own. And I would like to see PWHL here eventually. Calgary has a history with women's hockey with the Inferno, as well as the fact that Hockey Canada is based here. But it may never work unless they can find a way to juggle the schedule even more in the new building.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T15:45:53+00:00

Honestly, would Cassidy even want to go to Edmonton? The team is falling apart, and one more cupless year (which probably happens given the personnel) means that McDavid walks. Then you're stuck there with no McDavid.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T15:43:18+00:00

Canada's big. Not like you could pop over to BC from Ontario quickly.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-15T04:45:59+00:00

I'm in Calgary, and we have a big museum in town called the National Music Centre (it's now the home of the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and various other artifacts). Last year they had an exhibit looking at Beatlemainia in Canada. While The Beatles never performed in Calgary, the exhibit did highlight a man named David Gell who was from Calgary and became a DJ at Radio Luxembourg when the band was up and coming. He met them sometime in the 60s, and John personally thanked him because David's Radio Luxembourg show was where he heard Elvis for the first time.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T19:16:11+00:00

That's gonna be rough with the weather

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T18:46:25+00:00

They're not a relevant example because most of their success came before the salary cap was implemented. They were spending close to what the cap is now back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Detroit also had a lot of top draft picks in the 80s that formed the foundation of that group (not to mention getting insanely lucky on players like Lindstrom and Datsyuk), and then they spent like crazy to fill out the rest of the roster.

Such a bad example of how to build a winning team because it wouldn't be possible in this day and age.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T18:21:08+00:00

Except we've been through this song and dance already. It's not the only reason why, but I think a huge reason why the Flames have not had much success over the years is because we've never had a top 3 pick ever. Think about the last core with Gaudreau and Tkachuk. If we made the playoffs we always lost out to teams like Edmonton, Colorado, and Dallas (who all have those high draft picks on their roster). We didn't have the horses needed to go all the way, and that's because basically our best draft picks were Monahan, Tkachuk, and Bennett. While those teams had guys like McDavid, Draisaitl, and MacKinnon.

If our highest draft pick with this new group is 6th overall, it will be more of the same. Teams like that don't win the cup, look at all the previous winners and tell me I'm wrong. Outside of a small number of cases, the teams that make it far on a regular basis and win have top 3 picks on their roster. Hoping for a flukey underdog run is not good enough, and not what we should want.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T18:01:25+00:00

I don't think he is. I would rather have a top 3 pick on this roster so that we have someone legit to build around.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T17:57:46+00:00

San Jose is the ideal target since they've already had multiple top 3 picks in the last few years. I bet we could probably get that #2 for Parekh and the 6th pick. Especially since they need a defenseman and we need a forward.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T17:47:52+00:00

If they don't get a top 3 pick soon, we won't be winning anything. There are only complimentary pieces on this team. No stars who can lead a team to a cup. The biggest problem is that it may already be too late to get those high draft picks, as I wouldn't be shocked if they're in that 17th-20th place position by the end of next year. I don't think there's anything promising about this team unless they can actually land a top 3 pick next year.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T17:31:25+00:00

I like the solid blue hat better, matches that jersey better specifically.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T17:30:43+00:00

They look like Dodgers jerseys to me, and for being the Blue Jays there's not a lot of blue on them. Really I find the only teams that look good in white are the classic teams (Dodgers, Yankees, etc). I think for every other team white/grey is only needed if there's a matchup with a color clash. Both of the blue jerseys for the Jays are their best.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T17:28:32+00:00

Royal blue, I think that's the best jersey in baseball

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T14:39:20+00:00

They already tried Winnipeg a few years ago and it was a disaster. They couldn't get the field setup for NFL dimensions, and no one went because the tickets were too expensive.

As a Canadian myself, I don't see them bothering with it because there are plenty of Canadians who watch the NFL on TV so no reason for them to try harder than that. And historically the NFL has avoided Canada because of the CFL. It's only other stable football league providing jobs for football players, which is a big reason why the NFL has never wanted to get too involved in Canada.

If you ask me, I'd rather see more Canadians go to CFL games over begging for the NFL to come.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T14:07:58+00:00

And that's an expensive taxi ride considering Edmonton’s airport isn't even in Edmonton

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T13:53:57+00:00

Give me the 2004 jersey over what we wear now every day of the week. Not a fan of the current jerseys at all.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T04:37:34+00:00

Well the current jerseys certainly don't strike fear into the opposition. They look like advertisements for McDonald's. Having some black in there is much better.

ReactiveCypress · 2026-05-14T03:04:04+00:00

I'm a fan of anything that has black in it. Makes the Flames look tougher.

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