Published October 28 2026.
The Scotiabank Saddledome, at 555 Saddledome Rise SE in Victoria Park, opened on October 15 1983 as the Olympic Saddledome, a little over two years after construction began on July 29 1981. It hosted the hockey and figure skating competitions at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, has carried four names, was rebuilt from the inside after the June 2013 flood, and is in its Farewell Season in 2026-27. According to the City of Calgary, the City will demolish the building when Scotia Place opens; the City’s timeline has Scotia Place open to the public for the 2027/2028 NHL season.
The Saddledome at a glance
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 555 Saddledome Rise SE, Calgary | Scotiabank Saddledome, Venue |
| Construction began | July 29 1981 | CalgaryFlames.com |
| Opened | October 15 1983 | Scotiabank Saddledome, Building History |
| Original cost | Roughly $97 million | Global News, October 11 2023 |
| Designer and builder | GEC Architecture (design); Cana Construction (construction) | CalgaryFlames.com |
| Roof | 391 concrete panels on 118 km of steel cable | Global News, October 11 2023 |
| Seats today | 19,289 for hockey; over 19,000 overall | Scotiabank Saddledome, A to Z guide and Venue |
| Events a year | Over 150 | Scotiabank Saddledome, Venue |
| Tenants | Calgary Flames (NHL), Calgary Wranglers (AHL), Calgary Hitmen (WHL), Calgary Roughnecks (NLL) | Scotiabank Saddledome, Venue |
| Last Flames regular-season game | Saturday April 10 2027 against the Vancouver Canucks, 8:00 pm Calgary time | NHL.com, Flames schedule |
| Demolition | By the City of Calgary when Scotia Place opens; no date published | City of Calgary, Scotia Place FAQ |
Why Calgary built it
The venue’s own history page traces the building to 1980, when two things showed that Calgary needed a large multi-purpose arena: the city’s bid for the 1988 Olympic Winter Games and the arrival of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. According to CalgaryFlames.com, the Flames spent their first three seasons in Calgary at the Stampede Corral, which held about 7,000 people.
A Saddledome Foundation was set up to oversee construction and later management, according to the venue. CalgaryFlames.com says the project was first called the Olympic Coliseum, that ground was broken on July 29 1981, and that the Calgary Herald ran a naming contest in 1982. Cana Construction built it, with about 300 tradespeople on site by the spring of 1983, and GEC Architecture designed it, according to the same article. Global News put the cost at roughly $97 million in its 40th-anniversary story.
Why it is shaped like a saddle
The venue’s Building Design page describes the roof as a saddle design that represents Calgary’s western heritage, and says the concave roof gives the seating bowl an intimate feel. The geometry has a formal name. Art Froese, whom Global News describes as president of the Olympic Coliseum Society and CalgaryFlames.com as the society’s construction committee chairman, told Global News in 2023: “Technically, this building is called a hyperbolic paraboloid.”
Global News reports that the roof is made of 391 concrete panels resting on 118 km of steel cable. CalgaryFlames.com describes a cable-supported design with a tension ring around the edge, cast in concrete once the roof was raised; Froese compared the crossing cables to the strings of a tennis racket. The venue says the concave roof cuts the interior volume by more than a third compared with more conventionally built arenas.
The venue describes the seating bowl as pillar-free, with three overlapping tiers. The venue gives the longest sight line from any seat as 60.9 m (200 feet), and says the first 13 rows at the south end can be removed to open a floor area of 3,716 m² (24,000 square feet) for events. Daily Hive reported in 2025 that a 2018 report had found the structure could need millions of dollars in repairs over the following ten years, and that some of that work had been done.
How many people it holds
The venue says the Saddledome seats over 19,000. Its A to Z guide gives the capacity for hockey as 19,289 and says the capacity for other events depends on how the building is set up. The seating and parking guide on this site covers the bowl in more detail.
Sources differ on the early capacity. CalgaryFlames.com says the building was planned to open with 17,400 seats, with 2,600 more to be added before the 1988 Games. Olympedia, the Olympic results database, lists a Games capacity of 16,605.
Opening night: October 15 1983
The first NHL game in the building was a Battle of Alberta. FlamesNation’s account of the night gives the final score as Edmonton 4, Calgary 3, with Jari Kurri scoring the first goal at 1:51 of the first period. Global News reports that Premier Peter Lougheed cut the ribbon.
The 1988 Olympic Winter Games
The Saddledome was the hockey and figure skating venue for the 1988 Games, according to the venue. Olympedia lists these dates:
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| Ice hockey, men | February 13 to 28 1988 |
| Figure skating, pairs | February 14 to 16 1988 |
| Figure skating, men’s singles | February 17 to 20 1988 |
| Ice dance | February 21 to 23 1988 |
| Figure skating, women’s singles | February 24 to 27 1988 |
Global News recalls that International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch called Calgary’s Games the best ever.
The names it has carried
The building has had one name with the Olympics in it and three with sponsors in it. Olympedia and Global News give this order:
- Olympic Saddledome, from the October 15 1983 opening.
- Canadian Airlines Saddledome, from 1995 (Olympedia lists 1995 to 2000).
- Pengrowth Saddledome, from 2000; Global News reported that the 10-year naming agreement with Pengrowth ended in June 2010.
- Scotiabank Saddledome, announced by the Flames on October 8 2010, according to Global News. No financial terms were announced.
The venue’s own history page describes the 1995 reopening as the unveiling of “the new Scotiabank Saddledome”, using today’s name; Olympedia and Global News date the Scotiabank name to 2010. Global News also notes that most Calgarians simply call it the Dome.
The 1994-95 renovation
According to the venue, management passed in 1994 to the newly formed Calgary Flames Limited Partnership, and renovations worth more than $37 million began that fall. The renovated building was unveiled a year later. Reba McEntire opened it with a sold-out concert, and the official reopening ceremonies took place eleven days later at the Flames’ 1995-96 home opener. The venue’s website adds that accessibility was a major consideration in the renovations.
The June 2013 flood and the recovery
The Elbow River flooded the Saddledome early on a Friday morning in June 2013, The Canadian Press reported in a story Global News posted on June 22 2013. Water reached the eighth row of seats in the lower bowl, and the scoreboard electronics sat under about four metres of water and could not be saved.
Flames president Ken King described the event level, the building’s lowest floor, as a total loss. The Canadian Press listed the Flames dressing room, the ice plant, the ice resurfacing machines, kitchens and staff uniforms among what was flooded; CBC added players’ equipment, seats and boards. Some portable memorabilia survived, including a contract signed by former captain Jim Peplinski. Yahoo Sports reported that the costume of Harvey the Hound, the team mascot, was destroyed. King said the team believed its insurance would cover the loss, and The Canadian Press reported that he could not yet put a dollar figure on it.
The rebuild moved fast. Yahoo Sports reported in July 2013 that the work was on schedule for a September 1 target, with the first event planned as a split-squad pre-season game against the Edmonton Oilers on September 14, and that the Stampede Corral and arenas in Red Deer and Lethbridge were back-up options. Global News reported in 2023 that the building reopened on September 1 2013 after about 650,000 hours of repair work.
Tenants and notable moments
The Flames have played at the Saddledome since it opened. The venue lists four current tenants: the Calgary Flames of the NHL, the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and the Calgary Roughnecks of the NLL. All four are on this site’s teams page.
Among the moments the Flames list in their Farewell Season announcement are the 1989 Stanley Cup, “The Eliminator”, the 2004 Cinderella run and, in the team’s words, Johnny’s Game 7 overtime heroics. Global News points out that the 1989 Cup was clinched in Montreal, not in Calgary. The venue also names the 2005 royal visit among the events it has hosted, alongside concerts, tournaments, ice shows and conventions.
The 2026-27 Farewell Season
The Flames unveiled a “‘Dome Farewell Season” logo in March 2026 and said 2026-27 would be the Farewell Season for Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) clubs and operations in the building. The Canadian Press, writing for TSN, called the 2026-27 season the Flames’ 44th at the Saddledome.
The NHL’s 2026-27 schedule on NHL.com has the season opening at home on October 1 2026 against the Seattle Kraken and the last regular-season home game in Saddledome history on Saturday April 10 2027 against the Vancouver Canucks, at 8:00 pm Calgary time. The Hockey News and Daily Hive reported the same dates when the schedule came out in July 2026. Game dates for all four tenants are on What’s On at Victoria Park.
Scotia Place and the demolition plan
Scotia Place is being built next door. According to the City of Calgary, the total project cost is $1.22 billion; the City will own the building, CSEC will lease and operate it, and the City expects to hand over the keys to CSEC in fall 2027 for an opening to the public for the 2027/2028 NHL season. The Flames say the project comes from an April 2023 agreement in principle between CSEC, the City and the Government of Alberta, with ground broken in July 2024.
The City’s Scotia Place FAQ states that the City will demolish the Saddledome when Scotia Place opens, that the Government of Alberta has funded the demolition, and that the land will stay owned, maintained and operated by the Calgary Stampede. The FAQ gives no demolition date and no demolition cost, and does not say what will be built on the site. It says the City will celebrate the building’s legacy when the time comes. This site’s Victoria Park development page tracks the wider plan.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Saddledome built?
Construction began on July 29 1981, according to CalgaryFlames.com, and the building opened on October 15 1983, according to the venue.
Why is the Saddledome shaped like a saddle?
The venue says the saddle-shaped roof represents Calgary’s western heritage. Art Froese of the Olympic Coliseum Society told Global News that the shape is technically a hyperbolic paraboloid. The roof is made of concrete panels resting on steel cables, and the venue describes the seating bowl beneath it as pillar-free.
How many people does the Saddledome hold?
For hockey, 19,289, according to the venue’s A to Z guide. For concerts and other events, the capacity depends on the set-up.
What happened to the Saddledome in the 2013 flood?
The Elbow River filled the building to the eighth row of the lower bowl in June 2013. The event level, dressing rooms and scoreboard electronics were lost. Global News reports that it reopened on September 1 2013 after about 650,000 hours of work.
When will the Saddledome be torn down?
The City of Calgary says it will demolish the Saddledome when Scotia Place opens, which the City expects for the 2027/2028 NHL season. No demolition date has been published.
What was the Saddledome called before?
Olympic Saddledome from 1983, Canadian Airlines Saddledome from 1995, Pengrowth Saddledome from 2000, and Scotiabank Saddledome since 2010.
Planning a visit before the building closes? See getting to Victoria Park and venues at Victoria Park.
Sources: Scotiabank Saddledome, Building History: planning, foundation, opening date, Olympics, 1994-95 renovation and reopening. Read October 28 2026. Scotiabank Saddledome, Venue: address, capacity, events a year, tenants, 2005 royal visit, accessibility. Read October 28 2026. Scotiabank Saddledome, Building Design: saddle roof, interior volume, pillar-free bowl, sight line, removable rows. Read October 28 2026. Scotiabank Saddledome, A to Z guide: hockey capacity. Read October 28 2026. City of Calgary, Scotia Place frequently asked questions: demolition, funding, land, Scotia Place cost and timeline. Read October 28 2026. CalgaryFlames.com, The ‘Dome Farewell Season logo unveiled: Farewell Season, notable moments, Scotia Place agreement and groundbreaking. Read October 28 2026. CalgaryFlames.com, Birth of the Saddledome: Piece by Piece (September 28 2026): groundbreaking, builders, roof, planned seats, naming contest, Stampede Corral. Read October 28 2026. Olympedia, Olympic Saddledome: names, Games capacity, 1988 event dates. Read October 28 2026. Global News, Saddledome 40-year anniversary (October 11 2023): cost, roof panels and cable, opening ribbon, 1989 Cup, flood reopening, Froese quote. Read October 28 2026. Global News, Calgary Flames announce new name for arena (October 8 2010): names and dates. Read October 28 2026. Global News and The Canadian Press, Floods drown dressing rooms at Saddledome (June 22 2013): flood damage. Read October 28 2026. CBC Sports, Flames say lower part of Saddledome total loss from flooding: flood damage, insurance. Read October 28 2026. Yahoo Sports, After flood damage, Saddledome will be ready for Flames preseason (2013): recovery schedule, mascot costume. Read October 28 2026. FlamesNation, Opening night: October 15 1983: first game score and first goal. Read October 28 2026. Daily Hive, The storied history of Calgary’s iconic Scotiabank Saddledome (May 23 2025): 2018 repair report. Read October 28 2026. The Hockey News, Flames reveal final Saddledome schedule (July 16 2026): home opener and final regular-season game, as reported in July 2026. Read October 28 2026. NHL.com, Calgary Flames schedule: 2026-27 home opener, final regular-season home game and start time. Read October 28 2026. Daily Hive, Calgary Flames final game at Saddledome revealed (July 16 2026): final game start time. Read October 28 2026. TSN and The Canadian Press, Flames open farewell season at Saddledome (September 28 2026): 44th season. Read October 28 2026.