Top Saddledome Sports Memories

It’s been home to thousands of hockey games, countless Winter Olympic Games memories, numerous curling championships, loads of lacrosse and even the odd basketball game.

Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome has been a staple of the city’s sports scene since it first opened in mid-October of 1983.

Here’s a look back at several special moments for sports fans at the downtown arena:

It was fitting that the first major event at the Saddledome on Oct. 15, 1983 was a Battle of Alberta between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. It set the stage for many more epic tilts between the provincial National Hockey League (NHL) rivals. The game was attended by Calgary Mayor Ralph Klein, Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and NHL President John Ziegler – among many other dignitaries – and the ribbon cutting and ceremonial puck drop included Oiler great Wayne Gretzky and legendary Flame Lanny McDonald. Despite a 4-3 loss to the Oilers, a soldout crowd of nearly 17,000 fans celebrated the Stampede Corral upgrade and key piece of Olympic infrastructure.

After witnessing the Oilers claim the Stanley Cup in 1984 and 1985, the Flames wanted to taste similar success. They got their chance in 1986 when they faced the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final. With the series opener set for May 16th at the Olympic Saddledome, the Flames struck first blood in a 5-2 victory that saw five different Flames scorers find the back of the net. Goaltender Mike Vernon stopped 22 of 24 shots in the win. The Habs followed that up with four straight wins to capture the Stanley Cup, but the Flames took their first major step towards hockey’s ultimate prize.

McMahon Stadium bookended the 1988 Winter Olympics with the opening and closing ceremonies held at the home of the Calgary Stampeders. In between, the Dome was a hotspot for Olympic action. The Canadian men’s hockey team picked up wins at the Saddledome during the Winter Games but ultimately missed the podium with a fourth-place finish.  It was a pair of skaters in a different sport, however, who captured the imagination of Canadian sports fans. Figure skater Elizabeth Manley – “Canada’s Sweetheart” – took home a silver medal in women’s figure skating. Manley won the free skate but lost the overall scoring to gold medalist Katarina Witt. An even closer result took place in the men’s figure skating event when American Brian Boitano squared off against Canadian flag bearer Brian Orser in the “Battle of the Brians” – with Boitano winning gold by just one-tenth of a point in the scoring. The slimmest of margins created lasting memories for the capacity crowd of 19,000 fans in attendance at the Saddledome – and millions of TV viewers around the globe – on Feb. 20th.

While the Olympics put Calgary on the map internationally, the Flames took the city to the highest of hockey highs in 1989. On the heels of another pair of Stanley Cup titles for their provincial rivals in Alberta’s capital city, the Flames battled their way to a championship rematch against the Canadiens in May. After splitting the first four games of the best-of-seven series, the Flames took control in Game 5 at the Dome on May 23rd. Calgary struck early with three first-period goals from Joel Otto, Joe Mullen and Al MacInnis that put the Flames up 3-1. Montreal responded with a Mike Keane goal in the second frame, but the Flames held on for a 3-2 victory that pushed the team within one win of their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. That Cup-clinching victory came on the road at the Montreal Forum when Lanny McDonald and Doug Gilmour paced the offence in a 4-2 win over the Canadiens. The Flames were the only visiting team to ever win the Stanley Cup at the Montreal Forum. Despite the Cup win coming on the road, the championship led to several special nights at the Saddledome, including the raising of the Stanley Cup banner to the rafters on Oct. 4, 1989 and the retirement of McDonald’s No. 9 jersey on March 17, 1990. Mike Vernon had his No. 30 retired on Feb. 6, 2007. Banners for MacInnis and Joe Nieuwendyk were also raised at the Dome in 2012 and 2014 as part of the Forever a Flame program.

High-end hoops aren’t always top of mind when people think of Calgary. The Harlem Globetrotters have made multiple trips to the southern Alberta city, including stops at the Saddledome. The Calgary 88’s pro team – members of the World Basketball League from 1988 through 1992 – hit the hardwood for five seasons at the Dome. And the Calgary Surge, who currently play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) out of the WinSport Event Centre, have made a handful of appearances at the Scotiabank Saddledome. But getting a taste of NBA action is something completely different. Calgarians were treated to such a performance on Oct. 26, 1990 when the Los Angeles Lakers played an exhibition game at the Dome against the New Jersey Nets. The legendary Lakers topped the Nets 103-94, but the real thrill for the record crowd of 14,409 basketball fans in attendance was the chance to see Magic Johnson pick up 13 assists, while James Worthy scored 24 points. Top players on the Nets included Reggie Theus, who had 16 points, and Chris Dudley, who recorded 17 rebounds.

The Flames aren’t the only championship-calibre hockey team to call the Saddledome home. The Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) celebrated their first Ed Chynoweth Cup triumph with a 5-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers on May 7, 1999 in front of 17,139 home fans to seal a 4-1 series clincher. Led by Pavel Brendl, the top scorer in the league, and playoff MVP Brad Moran, the title capped a dream season that also saw the Hitmen top the WHL regular season standings with 110 points. The Hitmen added a second WHL championship in 2010 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in similar fashion. The finals also ended in five games on May 7th, when the Hitmen defeated the Tri-City Americans with a crowd of 15,335 on hand. Once again, the Hitmen finished first in the WHL regular season standings and iced the league’s top scorer, Brandon Kozun. Hitmen goalie Martin Jones was named the playoff MVP.

The Flames and Hitmen have banners to show for their successful campaigns, but no team won more Saddledome championships than the Calgary Roughnecks of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). After joining the league in 2001, the Roughnecks beat the Buffalo Bandits 14-11 to win the 2004 Champions Cup on May 7th (the same day and month when the Hitmen won both their WHL titles). More than 19,000 lacrosse fans were on hand for that inaugural championship. Their other two Saddledome titles took place on May 15, 2009, following a 12-10 win over the New York Titans, and on May 25, 2019 when the Roughnecks completed a best-of-three series sweep with a thrilling 14-13 overtime win over the Bandits.

The Calgary Flames had a rough patch in the late 1990s and early 2000s that saw the team miss the playoff for seven straight years. When they finally qualified for the 2004 postseason with a first-round matchup against their rivals from British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks, the fans were ready to raise the saddle-shaped roof. The two teams split the first two games in Vancouver and when the Zamboni hit the ice ahead of Game 3 at the Saddledome, the early arrivals let out a boisterous cheer to welcome the return of playoff hockey. A Game 7 overtime victory for the Flames at General Motors Place secured an opening round series win and launched the creation of “The Red Mile,” which stretched along 17 Avenue S.W. in Calgary with spontaneous celebrations from thousands of crimson-clad supporters. As the playoff run continued with series wins over the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks, the festivities grew larger. The possible height of the euphoria, for those lucky enough to secure Saddledome tickets to the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, took place in the third instalment of the series. During the first period of that May 29th contest saw Jarome Iginla of the Flames drop the gloves against Vincent Lecavalier, an assistant captain on the Lightning. It was all Calgary from there, with the Flames scoring a pair of second period goals, while Iginla added another in the third frame to lock down a 3-0 victory, a 2-1 series lead, and a shutout for netminder Miikka Kiprusoff. The Lightning ultimately took home Lord Stanley’s Cup in seven games, but the surprising postseason push rejuvenated the Flames and signaled their emphatic return to the city’s sports scene. It also led to more banner raising ceremonies for Iginla (March 2, 2019) and Kiprusoff (March 2, 2024).

Curling has a storied history at the Saddledome, as well, with the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier serving as a reminder of some of the best action the sport has to offer. The men’s championship tournament saw 246,126 fans file into the Dome from March 7-15. Kevin Martin’s Alberta team defended their championship title that year, with Martin turning in a perfect game along the way. The Saddledome hosted the Brier a total of four times, including tournaments in 1997, 2002 and 2015.

While many sports and athletic competitions have taken place at the Saddledome over the years, the venue is primarily a home to hockey. Fans have enjoyed many different levels of puck prowess at the venue. The 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship – which was co-hosted by Calgary and Edmonton – provided the opportunity for Saddledome faithful to witness Sweden defeat Russia 1-0 in the gold medal game on Jan. 5th, while Canada earned bronze with a 4-0 triumph over Finland. Stars at that tourney included Mika Zibanejad, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mikael Granlund, Mark Stone and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Meanwhile, the annual Crowchild Classic – a rivalry between the sports teams of the University of Calgary Dinos and Mount Royal University Cougars – is highlighted by a men’s and women’s hockey doubleheader at the Dome. The competition began in 2012 and the 2027 rumble at the Saddledome, the last in the building’s history, is set for Jan. 29th.

The championship game of the Circle K Classic, formerly known as the Mac’s Tournament, takes place each year at the Saddledome, as well. The U18 international tournament runs from Dec. 27th to Jan. 1st and it has graduated several players to the ranks of the NHL. Petr Nedved defected from communist Czechoslovakia during the event in 1989.

And while Flames fans have had less to cheer about in recent years, they can look back fondly on the 2022 playoffs when Johnny Gaudreau scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of their opening round series against the Dallas Stars on May 16th to set up a Battle of Alberta against the Oilers in the second round. “Johnny Hockey” got his signature moment with the Flames and it will long be remembered in Calgary.