The Olympic Saddledome has been host to the Stanley Cup Final, Calgary Flames hockey and the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Today, the iconic venue is in severe crisis mode. Extensive damage has been done. The Calgary Arena has severe flooding all the way up to the tenth row. Some reports say the water has risen to the 15th row.
The American MSM has been ominously silent on this- a major Canadian city is under water. Depending on reports, 75,000-100,000 Calgary residents have been evacuated from the city. The downtown core is without power. Three deaths have been reported in Calgary so far.
We now turn it over to the Calgary Sun:
Indeed that means the rink, the ice plant and a few thousand seats are submerged by the shocking overflow that swept over Stampede Park and the downtown core.
It also means the dressing rooms, the Jumbotron nerve centre, the Ed Whalen Lounge and the Hot Stove Lounge are all likely destroyed, as well. Plenty of history will likely be ruined too, including a massive championship team photo from 1989 signed by most team members that hangs outside the Flames dressing room.
Rising river waters after a Friday night storm surge have ravaged this Alberta city of 1.2 million residents. Here is a picture of the damage inside. It doesn’t look likely that the Calgary Flames, 1989 Stanley Cup Champions, will be ready to play in Calgary in three months.
Picture of Damage at Saddledome in Calgary! Really Sad! pic.twitter.com/SqcvXAC3VE
— Josh Rimer (@JoshRimerHockey) June 22, 2013
Here’s a before/after the rising of the Calgary and Bow rivers:
Oh Calgary :( — Before/After Downtown Calgary. 9th Ave SE at 4th St #yycflood pic.twitter.com/fjNMQvi5sH via @AlainDupere @weathernetwork
— Alex Ruiz (@alex_ruiz) June 21, 2013
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