Saddledome turns 43: from Olympic bid dream to Calgary's defining skyline

The dream for what became the Saddledome began in the 1970s as Calgary prepared to bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics. A new ice arena sat at the centre of the pitch—though not everyone agreed it was essential. While some city planners and boosters saw it as critical to landing the Games, others questioned whether it was truly necessary. Ultimately, the decision to build it made a difference. Calgary won the Olympic bid.

Early planning floated Lindsay Park (now home to the MNP Community & Sports Center) as a favoured site in August 1979, though most original plans had suggested the Stampede grounds should house the arena. Frank King, chairman of CODA, the group that headed the Olympic bid, confirmed both Lindsay Park and the Stampede grounds remained under consideration.

The prospect of a new coliseum also sparked imaginations about an NHL franchise. Columnist Jack Tennant wrote in The Albertan in 1979: "We are faced of course, with the old problem of which comes first – the chicken or the egg. Do we get a new coliseum and then seek an NHL franchise or do we get a commitment from the NHL and then build a coliseum?"

When word leaked that the working title was the Saddledome, opinion split sharply. Some Calgarians embraced the name for tipping its hat to cowboy culture; others wanted something more cosmopolitan. Columnist Pat McMahon offered his verdict in one word: "Yecchh! Can't we have anything in this town without a Stampede-cowboy connotation?" A selection committee received 1,270 name suggestions before the official name was confirmed in June 1982: the Olympic Saddledome. (Later sponsorship deals renamed it the Canadian Airlines Saddledome, the Pengrowth Saddledome, and finally the Scotiabank Saddledome.)

When it opened on October 15, 1983—43 years ago this month—the Saddledome was a shiny spectacle and one of the fanciest arenas in the country. A 1981 Herald feature noted it would "bring Calgary into the major leagues." The story opened with an anecdote: Calgarians had previously travelled to Edmonton to catch touring concerts like Rod Stewart. Now, the thinking went, big acts would come to Calgary instead. Rod Stewart became the venue's most frequent visiting headliner, performing there roughly 16 times.

Recent years brought criticism of the saddle's design and the building's age, making it less than ideal for large concert events or for receiving the arena upgrades that newer venues enjoy. Yet the Saddledome remains a defining feature of Calgary's skyline—and this fall, it marks the Flames' final season inside its iconic roof.