The Calgary Flames organization has clearly been unhappy with the way the City of Calgary has handled negotiations for a new arena and while it initially seemed highly unlikely that the Flames would ever be moved, that is no longer the case.
How likely is it? Flames reporter Eric Francis of the Calgary Herald is now reporting that the Calgary Flames will be sold to Houston "in three years." From the Calgary Sun:
Fact is, we’ll eventually reach the point in this dangerous game of chicken that the most logical solution may just be to sell.
It certainly is the easiest.
After all, it’s only worth the two-thirds of a billion dollars if you sell it.
It’s worth a fraction of that in Calgary, where the political and business climate is such that the reality may just be that the Calgary Flames have outgrown this town.
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Francis believes that the ego of Mayor Naheed Nenshi will get in the way of the Flames and the City of Calgary returning to the negotiating table, and with him in place for the next four years the Flames will have already made a decision and move on by the time a new Mayor is in place.
The biggest selling point for Francis however is the fact that the NHL announced it's expansion fee would come in at a whopping $650 million, the kind of value the Flames couldn't possibly hope to achieve while playing in the confines of the Saddledome.
To make matters worse for fans in Calgary, Francis believes that owner Murray Edwards would have no choice but to sell in a few years if the city doesn't support a new arena plan. And if Murray leaves so would his charity that donates over $3 million every year, the Flames Foundation.
If you didn't believe they could leave before, with Francis putting his money on a move to Houston you better believe it's a real possibility now.
