We originally had these notes on the original Random Thoughts article, but felt the topic was too important to shoehorn in it with general hockey stuff. My more through overview of the the CalgaryNEXT proposal can be found here.
The Flames' ill-conceived arena project/megaplex is back in the news again after Gary Bettman's recent visit to the city.
The NHL commissioner's shill job for the org's proposal borrowed heavily from the professional sports public subsidy playbook, but he didn't seem to find a very receptive audience. Calgary's city council (and citizenry in general) have been appropriately skeptical since the team released the details of their $1 billion project, but the oil induced economic slump has no doubt further eroded most folk's patience for corporate welfare.