Brian Burke Ignites Calgary Relocation Threats

Outspoken Calgary Flames President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke stirred controversy yesterday by telling a local business luncheon that the Calgary Flames will relocate if the team does not receive significant public funding to build a new arena.

Burke told attendees that “[w]e’re not going to make the threat to leave. We’ll just leave.” He then doubled-down, sarcastically adding that while other central and western Canadian cities publicly fund stadiums and arenas, “our little city is a little smarter than all those people and we’re not going to do it.”

Calgary’s Mayor—Naheed Nenshi—barely batted an eye. According to Calgary’s 660 News, Nenshi referred to Burke’s comments as part of the dance teams do whenever they want a new arena, and stood his ground on disagreeing with the models the Flames have so far proposed.

Flames President and CEO Ken King immediately distanced the team’s official stance from Burke’s comments, stating that while Burke runs Hockey Operations for the Flames, he is not the team’s spokesman on the matter.” It is possible that Burke was only stating his personal views on the topic, but as a prominent member of the organization, his statements carry more weight than the average Flames fan. Moreover, Burke’s statements echo word for word what King stated during an interview with Bob McCown on the Sportsnet Fan 590 show Primetime Sports.

The Flames do play in the oldest arena in the NHL, as the Scotiabank Saddledome was built in 1983. The Detroit Red Wings formerly held that title until moving to a new arena for this upcoming season. Madison Square Gardens, home of the New York Rangers, is technically older, but has over $1 billion in renovations during the past ten years. Burke’s statements, however, are familiar to those who follow pleas for publicly funded stadiums. Teams make a show of threatening to leave before most (but not all) cities acquiesce with a favorable deal. Calgary seems to be standing tall at the moment, but an upcoming municipal election in October could change that.