The Saddledome opened its NHL life with all the drama you’d expect from a building that would spend decades hosting big nights in Calgary.
On Oct. 15, 1983, the puck dropped there for the first time in a National Hockey League game, and the Flames immediately found themselves in a track meet with the Edmonton Oilers. Calgary’s new home had been a long time coming, and the night felt like the finish line on a project that had been years in the making.
Construction on the Saddledome began at the end of July 1981, after the provincial government stepped in to make sure zoning changes would go through on time. That move cleared the way after months of community resistance to building an arena in Victoria Park. The irony was hard to miss: the Stampede Corral had already sat in the neighborhood for three decades, but a bigger arena across the street was viewed as too disruptive.
Even getting to that point had taken years. The Corral had served hockey in Calgary for decades, but by the 1970s it was considered too small for major league hockey.
The NHL had made that clear when the World Hockey Association was discussing a possible merger that could have involved the Calgary Cowboys. The Stampede Board’s long-discussed plan to expand the Corral never happened, either.
What finally pushed the Saddledome over the line was the combination of Calgary’s third Olympic bid and the Flames’ move from Atlanta. A few months after construction got underway, the International Olympic Committee awarded Calgary the 1988 Olympics.
By the time opening night arrived, the Flames had already started the 1983-84 season with a three-game road trip and a 1-1-1 record. Their first game at the Saddledome came on a Saturday night, and it was the first half of a home-and-home with Edmonton.
The scoreboard told the story of a wild one. Jari Kurri opened the scoring for Edmonton 1:51 into the first period, before Lanny McDonald answered on the power play at 12:18.
Glenn Anderson put Edmonton back in front late in the first, and Wayne Gretzky made it 3-1 early in the second. Dave Hindmarch pulled Calgary within one late in the second, only for Ken Linseman to restore Edmonton’s two-goal cushion in the third.
Doug Risebrough cut it to 4-3 with 2:29 left, but that was as close as the Flames got.
Edmonton won 4-3. Grant Fuhr stopped 41 shots and allowed three goals, while Reggie Lemelin gave up four on 31 shots.
There was plenty of edge, too. The first fight in Saddledome history came between Mark Messier and Jim Peplinski.
Calgary’s home debut didn’t change the early-season slide right away. The Flames went on to play five more road games and came back from that trip at 1-4-0, then returned home on Oct. 26 to face St.
Louis with a 2-6-1 record. They beat the Blues 5-4 for their first home win at the Saddledome.
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The news leaves a noticeable gap for Calgary fans who relied on Hrudeys blend of candor and comfort on nights when the games mattered most. In a hockey market where broadcast voices become part of the fabric of the season, losing that kind of consistency stings, and it adds another reminder that even around the leagues biggest stage, familiar figures can disappear quickly when the business side shifts. [Read more 🡒]