After the recent comments made by Calgary Flames Vice President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney, the then-32nd-place Flames were tasked with hosting the then-third-place Dallas Stars in a Saturday night hockey game.

A statement win for Calgary

On paper, it was a daunting task and was metaphorically the next gallon of gasoline that could have been dumped onto the Flames. However, the home team did manage to pick up a thrilling shootout win after allowing the Stars to come back late in the third period.

Just like that, the Flames seemingly smothered the off-ice distractions and were solely focused on playing hockey. Honestly, good for the team. That’s exactly how they should have responded, and they went out to pick up back-to-back wins over the weekend.

It doesn’t absolve Maloney from how he handled his interview and the comments he made, but the Flames really did press pause on the potential disaster that could have ensued right after. The Flames entered the game versus Dallas in 32nd place and made as big a statement as a 32nd-place team could have possibly made. It also included a leapfrog of the Nashville Predators in the standings as the cherry on top.

Elliotte Friedman assesses the Flames crowd

In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, a large focus was placed on the Flames for obvious reasons. One comment from Friedman stood out:

There were people going online saying tonight at the Flames game, this is Saturday night, you’re going to see jerseys thrown on the ice, you’re going to see a booing crowd. We didn’t see any of that. And we saw a crowd that is the Flames played hard and won the game that was actually pretty excited.

They got their money’s worth for the night. So, that’s not to say that people aren’t upset or people aren’t legitimately angry or there isn’t a group of fans that don’t like to hear what they say, but I was really watching for that on Saturday. Was that an angry crowd? And I didn’t see it.

Of course, online fans have been vocal and critical of Flames ownership. This was highlighted by a recent poll The Win Column ran that showed a majority of fans were downright ready to boycott the Flames after Maloney’s comments.

However, in a city as diverse as Calgary, so too are its hockey team’s fans, and there are still droves of people making their way to the Saddledome to watch the Flames play. That said, it’s pretty apparent that attendance is down. The most-attended game so far in the Saddledome was versus the Montreal Canadiens, with 17,826—much lower than the 19,289 capacity with a 92.4% attendance. Against the Stars, it was lower at 17,566, or 91.0%.

With all due respect to Friedman, I don’t think his comments on the crowd were a reflection of reality. Why?

I was there at the game.

Not a good game to protest

The Stars came to town on a Saturday night during Calgary’s Hockey Fights Cancer night. Right off the bat, it was not exactly a night where fans would be poised to boo the team. Just purely out of respect for the themed night, booing the team would have been in poor taste. Boos might have ultimately been warranted, but thankfully, the Flames didn’t allow such a circumstance to really occur based on their in-game play.

Calgary never trailed in the game, and they stifled the Stars’ offence for much of it. Even with late-game theatrics blowing their lead, the outcome was in favour of the Flames and in favour of finishing off a good night out for the home crowd. Why would anyone even consider throwing their jersey on a night like this?

A questionable in-game experience

Game results and the timing of the theme aside, I think the game experience felt decidedly different from games I’ve attended in the past.

As people do on weekends, people at the game seemed more interested in having a good time with their friends and family than they were in watching the hockey game. Is this just a common side-effect of watching a last-place team? Perhaps.

No energy in the Saddledome

There was never any moment where the atmosphere was electric like in years past. Any time the puck was in play, there were rolling murmurs in the crowd as conversations about anything but the Flames happened in every direction.

In some seats, people were tuning into the Las Vegas Formula 1 race; in others, fans were checking in to upcoming flights; and of course, many other seats remained empty for the night. It was a surreal experience to see a crowd of over 17,000 strong, where many were disengaged with what they paid money for.

The night’s loudest cheers were barely hockey-related, aside from some big-game saves from Devin Cooley and Nazem Kadri’s game-winning shootout goal. Instead, the Hockey Fights Cancers tributes and a good old beer chugging on the Jumbotron were the loudest. Further yet, the intermission music playing over the PA system was even louder.

Harvey the Hound could barely drum up any sustained Go Flames Go chants, and remember, this was mostly with the Flames leading in the game. Fan attempts to do the same were never met by others, as solo cheers quickly faded out to silence—or the droning murmur of off-topic conversations.

All of this is to say, the atmosphere watching the Flames was the most decidedly unique one I’ve ever witnessed. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.

People are still paying to watch the Flames

Well, yeah, I’m in that group of people paying for Flames tickets in the 2025–26 season. And let me be clear, I didn’t buy tickets because I had an overwhelming desire to watch the Flames. I bought tickets to enjoy a night out with a visiting friend. I’m positive I’m not alone in that sentiment among the crowd of 17,566.

The Flames may already be aware that their in-game demographics have shifted. I sure hope so. Cause if they don’t know this and are viewing consistent (but not sold-out) crowds as a signal that they’re still doing something right, then actually, something is seriously wrong.

The Flames have nurtured apathy

While I don’t speak for all fans, I know what I experienced. A fun night out might have helped Calgary’s bottom line, sure. But they don’t deserve any credit. The team on the ice didn’t inspire much. Many people stayed in their seats when the Flames scored. Our heart rates barely fluctuated.

Sure, no jerseys were thrown. No boos towards management were heard. The ledger books may even show strong profits. But I can’t help but feel like the fan base is reaching peak levels of apathy.

This cannot be the type of crowd that Flames ownership is happy to see spending money and filling seats as they sunset the Saddledome and prepare for Scotia Place. If it is, it would be the biggest insult to the Flames fan base.

There’s plenty time to fix things. Don’t waste the opportunity to do so.

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