{"id":443216,"date":"2026-02-03T12:28:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443216\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T12:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:28:12","slug":"the-scariest-walk-in-the-nhl-tales-from-the-terrifying-ceiling-high-calgary-catwalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/443216\/","title":{"rendered":"The scariest walk in the NHL: Tales from the terrifying ceiling-high Calgary catwalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our NHL Arena Rankings series<\/a>, in which we rank all 32 current rinks and present stories about memorable rinks of the past and present.<\/p>\n

One night, during my time covering the Calgary Flames for The Athletic, I was minding my business in the Scotiabank Saddledome press box when a visiting broadcaster approached.<\/p>\n

The broadcaster, a former NHL player \u2014 who will remain nameless because he didn\u2019t respond to a recent request for an interview \u2014 was searching for the broadcast booth. The problem was, he was on the wrong side of the arena. And the only way he could get to the opposite side, without a lengthy trip back downstairs, was by crossing a metal drawbridge \u2014 the catwalk \u2014 that hangs dozens of feet directly above the ice surface, with wooden boards as guides.<\/p>\n

When another colleague and I explained this, our guest was horrified. He couldn\u2019t believe he had to essentially walk over the arena\u2019s scoreboard while using the accompanying railings to protect him from potentially falling. There are even stairs to navigate in some areas. It was like asking him to walk a tightrope above a pit of swimming sharks. So, he asked my colleague and me to cross the catwalk with him.<\/p>\n

For @TheAthleticNHL<\/a> listeners, here’s a video I took of the Scotiabank Saddledome catwalk hanging above the ice https:\/\/t.co\/SE9FuTcNfg<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xjOyJFmVUy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) September 29, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

The three of us tried not to look down \u2014 especially because while doing the walk, you literally could look down through the Saddledome video board (until the team got a new one in 2024). The broadcaster finished his journey, and my colleague and I bravely made the walk back to our seats.<\/p>\n

Moments later, another reporter from The Athletic\u00a0received a text from the broadcaster, saying that his legs were still shaking. He is not the only one to face his fears along that catwalk, known as the scariest walk in the NHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve done it in 20 or 25 years,\u201d said Vancouver Canucks broadcaster John Shorthouse, who\u2019d much rather take the long way and reach the broadcast booth through a public elevator filled with fans.\u00a0He\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n

The Scotiabank Saddledome is the NHL\u2019s second-oldest arena, behind Madison Square Garden in New York City. It opened in October 1983 and hosted events at the 1988 Winter Olympics. It has endured as one of the city\u2019s most prominent landmarks, thanks to the literal saddle shape of the arena.<\/p>\n

And inside, near the ceiling, is that dreaded catwalk that has struck fear, or curiosity, into many media members and journalists.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou walk on that plywood,\u201d TSN broadcaster Gord Miller said. \u201cHow long has that plywood been there?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a GM I know who is famous, and he rides the public elevator. He\u2019ll sign the autographs and pose for pictures (with fans) rather than walk that catwalk.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who might want to avoid the public elevator \u2014 or might have to cross from one side of the press box to the other and prefer to not take two elevator rides \u2014 the catwalk is the way to go. None of it is for the faint of heart. Even the press box itself \u2014 and the walkway that leads to it \u2014 is suspended in the air over a section of seats.<\/p>\n

The Calgary catwalk is the stuff of legends.<\/p>\n

With the building entering it\u2019s final years, I had to give it a shot.<\/p>\n

With a deep fear of heights, what could possibly go wrong? pic.twitter.com\/MYStRAkfYg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Logan Reever (@loganreever) December 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

TSN broadcaster Jamie McLennan did a video call with his wife and son while walking the catwalk before a game last season. During his days as the Flames\u2019 goalie coach, he crossed the catwalk back and forth between each period to go downstairs and meet with then-coach Darryl Sutter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a gong show,\u201d McLennan said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a bit of a rite of passage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decades ago, Shorthouse made the fearful walk along the catwalk with former broadcast partner Tom Larscheid and would not let go of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would go ahead,\u201d Shorthouse said. \u201cI would just hold on to the back of his jacket, and stare at the back of his head, and walk and not look down. Because it freaks me out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sportsnet broadcaster Jason York, who flies in from Ottawa to call several games a week in Calgary alongside play-by-play man Jon Abbott, avoids the catwalk due to his fear of heights.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kryptonite is heights,\u201d York said. \u201cI don\u2019t know when it started. When I was a kid, I wouldn\u2019t go up on the CN Tower. When I have a straight look down, my legs get super light. All of a sudden, I\u2019m like, \u2018I might lose my balance and fall over here and plummet to the ice.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will never see him cross it,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t even really like putting his back to the ice, like when we have to turn around for the camera (in the booth).\u201d<\/p>\n

But that treacherous walk to the broadcast booth isn\u2019t for nothing. Once broadcasters enter the Pete Maher broadcast booth \u2014 named after the longtime, legendary Flames broadcaster \u2014 they\u2019re treated to some of the best sight lines in the league for broadcasters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s old-school,\u201d York said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are right over the top of the ice,\u201d said Sportsnet\u2019s national television play-by-play broadcaster Harnarayan Singh. \u201cSo it\u2019s just a phenomenal view for calling the game when you need to cross over to the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbott said, \u201cYou get the ambience and the crowd noise because you\u2019re not at the top of the rafters, you feel like you\u2019re more in it. When I\u2019m at the edge of the booth, I can see the fans beneath me. I can hear them behind me. I can see the ice extremely well. I\u2019m able to pick up all the little details. It just puts you in the middle of the ambience. It puts you in the middle of the vibes. It puts you in the middle of the atmosphere in the arena. And so you feel it\u2019s just so easy to have an energetic call because it\u2019s surrounding you, and all you have to do is embrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the charm, the Flames\u2019 days in the Saddledome are numbered. Its successor, Scotia Place, is currently being constructed across the street from the \u2018Dome and is set to open in the fall of 2027. And once the new arena is operational, the Saddledome and its terrifying catwalk will be demolished. Broadcasters, obviously, hope their vantage points will be just as good in the new rink. But some will still miss the Saddledome\u2019s charm when it goes away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to change part of the identity that goes with Calgary,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cThe new one will take over the new era. But it\u2019s one of those long-standing hallmarks of the city of Calgary, so it\u2019s going to feel a lot different when that place isn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n

But not everyone will feel nostalgic about the arena\u2019s catwalk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope the new building doesn\u2019t have it,\u201d McLennan said.<\/p>\n

The NHL Arena Rankings series is part of a partnership with StubHub. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n