The Calgary Flames at the Saddledome
The Calgary Flames have been the Saddledome's primary tenant since opening night in 1983. Two Stanley Cup Finals, four decades of Battle of Alberta nights, the Lanny McDonald goal, the Sutter brothers, the Iginla era, and the building's full hockey record before its 2027 demolition.
From Atlanta to Calgary, 1980
The Calgary Flames franchise traces back to the 1972 Atlanta Flames. After eight seasons in Atlanta, the team relocated to Calgary in 1980, three years before the Saddledome opened. Their first three Calgary seasons were played at the Stampede Corral, an aging 7,200-seat building that couldn't accommodate the city's growing NHL appetite. The Saddledome was built largely to give Calgary a proper NHL home.
Opening night, October 15, 1983: Flames vs. Oilers
The Saddledome's first event was a Flames-Oilers game. The Battle of Alberta, already a fierce rivalry by 1983, got its proper venue that night. The Flames lost 4–3, but the building's hockey character was set: every Edmonton visit would feel like a playoff game, every Flames-Oilers night packed to the rafters.
The 1986 Stanley Cup Final
Three years into the Saddledome era, the Flames made their first Stanley Cup Final. They had upset the Oilers in the second round, the famous Steve Smith own-goal series, and rode that momentum to the Final against the Montreal Canadiens. Calgary lost the series 4–1. But the run cemented the Saddledome's reputation as a playoff arena.
The 1989 Stanley Cup
May 25, 1989. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Calgary at Montreal, leading the series 3–2. Lanny McDonald, in the final season of his Hall of Fame career, scored his last NHL goal on a setup from Joe Mullen and Jim Peplinski. Doug Gilmour added the empty-netter. Final: Calgary 4, Montreal 2. The Flames became the first visiting team to win the Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum.
The Cup celebration that returned to Calgary that summer was held at the Saddledome, McDonald lifted it on the building's ice surface. The 1989 Cup remains the franchise's only championship and the Saddledome's only Stanley Cup banner.
The 2004 Stanley Cup Final
Fifteen years after the 1989 Cup, the Flames came within one win of another. Captained by Jarome Iginla and coached by Darryl Sutter, the underdog Flames beat Vancouver, Detroit, and San Jose in the playoffs to reach the Final against Tampa Bay. The series went seven games. Game 6, played at the Saddledome, became the most controversial game in franchise history, Martin Gélinas appeared to score a Cup-winning goal in overtime that was waved off after no replay review. Calgary lost Game 7 in Tampa. The 2004 run produced the famous "Red Mile" along 17th Avenue, where 50,000+ fans packed the streets after every Flames home win.
The Iginla era
Jarome Iginla played 16 of his 20 NHL seasons with the Flames, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in goals, points, and games played. His Saddledome career covered the dark years (1996-2003 missing the playoffs annually), the 2004 Cup run, and the post-Cup-run rebuilding. His name is in the Saddledome rafters; the building was the only NHL home he had until the 2013 trade to Pittsburgh.
The Sutter dynasty
The Sutter brothers, Brian, Brent, and Darryl, have all coached the Flames at the Saddledome. Darryl coached the 2004 Cup-Final team and returned for a second stint from 2021-2023, leading the franchise back to a deep playoff run including the 2022 Pacific Division title. The Sutter family is woven into the Saddledome's hockey identity, six brothers played in the NHL, several with Calgary, and the surname is essentially synonymous with Western Canadian hockey grit.
The Battle of Alberta
The rivalry between the Flames and Oilers, a 90-minute drive between Calgary and Edmonton, two cities that disagree about everything, is one of the NHL's defining hostilities. From 1983 onward, every Flames-Oilers game at the Saddledome has been a sellout. The 1980s rivalry produced multiple seven-game playoff series. The 2022 second-round playoff series, won by Edmonton in five, was the first Battle of Alberta playoff series since 1991.
The 2013 flood
In June 2013 the Bow River flooded into the Saddledome up to row 14 of the lower bowl. Damage to the dressing rooms, ice plant, and lower seating was extensive. The Flames lost their entire pre-season at the building; the team trained out of the practice facility while crews worked through the summer to make the Saddledome game-ready by October. (Full story: The 2013 Flood at the Saddledome.)
The 2022 division title and the post-Iginla era
In 2021-22, under Darryl Sutter, the Flames won the Pacific Division for the first time since 2006. They lost the second-round playoff series to Edmonton 4–1, the highest-stakes Battle of Alberta in three decades. The 2022 run is the most recent peak of Flames hockey at the Saddledome. Subsequent seasons have been transitional, with the franchise rebuilding around younger players ahead of the move to Scotia Place in 2027.
Banners and retired numbers
- 9, Lanny McDonald
- 12, Jarome Iginla
- 30, Mike Vernon
- 1989 Stanley Cup banner
- 1986 Campbell Conference Champions banner
- 2004 Western Conference Champions banner
- Multiple Pacific Division banners
These banners will move to Scotia Place when the new arena opens in 2027. The Saddledome itself will then be demolished.
The final Saddledome season
The 2026-27 NHL season is expected to be the Flames' final at the Saddledome. The building's farewell, including a planned closing ceremony, alumni game, and final regular-season home game, is being planned with the Flames organization, the Calgary Stampede, and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation. The team's first home game at Scotia Place is expected to be in October 2027.
For the live ledger of upcoming Flames home games at the Saddledome, and other events the building is hosting in its final years, see the Saddledome homepage's upcoming events section.