The Calgary Flames went into the short Christmas break being dealt a sour loss that saw Connor McDavid pick up five points and Leon Draisaitl score three power play goals in Rogers Place. Thanks to the NHL schedule, the Flames had a chance to avenge the lopsided loss back home in the Saddledome and they did so in front of a fully-packed C of Red.
This season, it took a little longer to have a sold-out ‘Dome, but the Flames finally got there. And thankfully, the home team put on a show for the home crowd en route to taking down the Oilers.
A sold-out Saddledome for the Battle of Alberta
Let’s be real, the Battle of Alberta peaked in 2021–22 when the two teams met in the playoffs. Since then, instead of Alberta being home to two perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the two teams saw their paths diverge, and as a result, the Battle of Alberta unfortunately suffered.
However, pride on the line will never go away, and Calgary should be beating Edmonton at every given opportunity. And for the first time all season long, the C of Red fully showed up to support the Flames. It was the first sold-out home game for the Flames in nearly a full year.
As per Hockey-Reference.com, the official attendance was listed at a full-capacity 19,289. Prior to the Flames’ Battle of Alberta win, their next highest attendance count so far this season was 18,256 (94.6% attendance), also recorded just mere days ago when the Flames took down the Vegas Golden Knights. Outside of these two games, the Flames had yet to break past the 18,000 threshold this season.
Last year, the Calgary Flames had a full Saddledome on three occasions: The home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 12, the first instalment of the Battle of Alberta on November 3, and the New Year’s Eve game against the Vancouver Canucks. In the nick of time, the Flames were able to have a sold-out game in the 2025 calendar year with just three home games to go before 2026.
Attendance is a strong indicator of interest
The Flames finally sold out the ‘Dome, and it’s probably due to some combination of the sweet prospect of revenge against Edmonton, the holidays season making a Flames game a much more meaningful experience, the unbelievably tight point spread between being 32nd in the NHL or in a wild card spot in the West, and the fact that this will be one of final few Battle of Albertas left in the legendary arena.
However, what’s more important is whether this is sustained or if the Flames will drop back into the 17,000s for attendance. Despite what ownership says about the team and its direction, at the end of day, money talks and a more consistently sold out Flames arena makes for better revenue.
Do right by everyone
The best thing the team can do is be transparent about the situation and treat the whole fan base with respect. This sold out crowd seems like came to fruition thanks to a perfect combination of several factors drawing out fans across the fan base. The Flames should make it a priority such that they can consistently draw out the crowds for all 40+ home games every season, all season long.
The team finds itself in an awkward spot where they realistically know that they have a divided fan base, and they know the number of Saddledome games remaining is rapidly dwindling. They might just rough it out knowing that fans will want to come out for the few remaining opportunities before the team transitions to Scotia Place. So long as they set the prices correctly, the new Flames game experience at will sell more tickets.
That’s honestly a very sound business strategy. Let’s just hope the team on the ice puts together a sound sports strategy to complement it all.
