I hate the Flames. Always have..Maybe it was because of all the free overtime we worked when I was in the Calgary Sun sports department, churning out pages when they went on playoff runs. (Back in the day, when they had a great team with talented players.).We even had a golf tournament in Flames’ honour when they bowed out — we called it the Thank You Flames Open. Including a ceremonial green jacket to award to the winner! We bought it at a thrift store..But in saying that, the day after the Flames eliminated Gretzky & Co. in the NHL playoffs, I remember being in a Calgary shopping mall, floating on air..It was a joyous moment. People everywhere were happy, smiling. I loved it. We loved it. .The Flames had slain the dragon thanks to coach Badger Bob’s incredible 10-point plan to beat the greatest team that ever played the game..Edmonton coach Glenn Sather, whom we all hated, somehow got his hands on that plan and would say he agreed with most of it. It was sheer genius, and it worked. At least I think it did..Recently, the city, the Government of Alberta and the Flames group — the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) — came up with a plan for a new arena deal..This has been in the works for a couple years..Last week, I got an email from Jeromy Farkas, a man I greatly respect. I voted for him in the mayoral race and also contributed to his campaign. And like many others, I was disappointed when he lost..Anyway, it was a straight up analysis of the $1.2 billion deal. Not from the left, or from the right. Just an honest assessment, right down the middle..He didn’t take one stand or another. Just the straight goods. .And I must say, it was quite shocking. Folks, this is not a great deal for us, not in any sense..Looking back, the previous deal was much better and apparently we were only a few million away from inking it..Thanks to the wonderful Jyoti Gondek, the deal was kiboshed. But that's now water under the bridge, and there’s no point in crying over it..Costs have now soared, and many more millions will be required from taxpayers..How do I feel about it? To be honest, I’m torn. While it’s a terrible deal for us (not so much for the Flames ownership), I know we need that team to stay..I think many others feel like me, as well..But a new survey in the report kind of stunned me..A new poll by ThinkHQ found fully 50% of Calgarians are opposed to the deal — 32% ‘strongly’ — while only 43% support it.”.In the rest of the province, sentiment is generally divided, except with respect to Edmonton. In the provincial capital region, fully 61% of those interviewed disapprove of the deal (44% strongly), compared to only 33% offering support, ThinkHQ said..Imagine, half the city is against it, says the poll..The good news? The Flames are cleaning house. GM Brad Treliving was fired, followed by coach Daryl Sutter. A good move because The Jolly Rancher, as we call him in the media, had lost the room, as they say. And once that happens, you can’t go back..People will argue that until the cows come home, but the fact is it was time for him to leave..There are still a lot of Flames fans who also still support Sutter, and his coaching methods..But one only has to look at the mighty Edmonton Oilers..Since Jay Woodcroft, age 46, took over up north, the team has done very well — the players like him, they’re willing to go to the wall for him, and it shows..According to the team, in the 14+ months since taking over, Woodcroft led the Oilers to an impressive 73-32-12 record, with a points percentage of .675. .This places him second in NHL history among coaches with at least 100 games behind the bench..Compare that to the Flames, who lost their two best players — Johnny Hockey and Matt Tkachuk — and failed to make the playoffs..While a healthy offer was made to keep Gaudreau, Tkachuk was taken to arbitration..He would later tell Sportsnet.ca when he signed a three-year bridge deal in 2019, he always knew there was a chance at its conclusion it would be time to leave..“I put myself in a position with the last deal I signed to kind of re-evaluate my life and my career at this stage, and I kind of came to the conclusion after the RFA period (July 13) it was time to look elsewhere,” Tkachuk said..“There’s a lot that went into it. There’s no single reason why I left. At the end of the day, I wanted to re-evaluate where I’m at and after talking to a few teams I did that, and kind of came down to that conclusion.”.One only has to look at Tkachuk’s record (40 goals, 69 assists, 109 points) since being traded to the Florida Panthers — a team that just carried out one of the biggest upsets in eliminating the Boston Bruins from the playoffs..And Tkachuk played an important part of that — even setting up the winning overtime goal in Game 7..Losing Tkachuk was a massive loss for the Calgary Flames. .But it is now time to move on. What is done, is done..As much as this arena deal leaves a sour taste, I think we have no choice..We need to bite the bullet and get this done..Up in Edmonton, they did it well. The deal for Rogers Place created a whole new economic zone in the city. Something which was very much needed..I don’t want to get into the argument of whether it will help Calgary economically or not. Let the financial eggheads tackle that one..Nobody likes to give millions to billionaires, or to rich hockey players..And yes pro sports has become very expensive. The contracts being handed out to mediocre NHL players alone is staggering..But we need this team to stay, as well as all the other benefits — bigger name music acts, surrounding amenities and improvements, etc. .I still don’t like the Flames, never will. I am a tried and true Detroit Red Wings fan..But let’s just get this done and move on. And hopefully our city will be the better for it in the end.
