The Saddledome was damaged during the 2013 Alberta floods in June and July that year,[9][10] but was repaired and reopened in time for the 2013–14 NHL season.

With a total capacity of 8,700, the Corral was the largest arena in Canada west of Toronto in 1950,[12] but had fallen below major league standards by the 1970s.

[14] Two other sites, one on the west end of downtown, and a late bid by several businessmen pushing to build the arena in the northern suburb of Airdrie were also considered.

[16] City Council voted on March 3, 1981, to build the proposed 20,000 seat arena on the Stampede grounds, immediately east of the Corral and south of Victoria Park.

[17] The community continued to fight the city over rezoning the land to allow for the new arena amidst fears of traffic congestion in their neighbourhood which resulted in numerous costly delays to the start of construction.

[18] In a bid to end the battle, Mayor Ralph Klein asked the provincial government in July 1981 to take over the land designated for the arena to bypass the appeals process and force approval.

[19] The province supported the city amidst protests by community associations and invoked rarely used powers to overrule planning regulations, allowing construction to begin.

[21] The International Olympic Committee was impressed that the project was underway, as noted in the XV Olympic Winter Games official report which stated "The fact that this facility was already being built added credibility to (Calgary's) bid and proved to be a positive factor in demonstrating Calgary's commitment to hosting the Games".

[22] The Saddledome was featured on the cover of Time magazine on September 27, 1987, for an article discussing the city of Calgary and the upcoming 1988 Olympics.

[25] The location of the Saddledome within Stampede Park allows for easy access to Calgary's CTrain light rail transit system via the Victoria Park/Stampede station that stands parallel to Macleod Trail.

[22] Builders faced delays while building the roof as numerous adjustments were required to fit the giant concrete slabs between the array of cables that held them in place.

[30] When it opened on October 15, 1983, the Olympic Saddledome served to boost the morale of a city that was experiencing a significant downturn as a result of the international oil market collapse, high interest rates, and the federal government's National Energy Program.

[22] During the first event, an NHL game between the Flames and the Edmonton Oilers, the standard of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was the first thing booed by a population upset with the government's policies.

The Flames petitioned the City of Calgary and the Saddledome Foundation to upgrade the facility in 1994, requesting renovations to add additional luxury boxes and a new club section.

[39] Renovations occurred between 1994 and 1995 and saw the addition of 41 new luxury suites at the top of the lower bowl, an 1,172 seat club section, a new restaurant, expanded offices for the Flames, Saddledome management and Hockey Canada, as well as a significant restructuring of the public concourse and a new parkade structure.

The flooding of the Elbow and Bow Rivers swamped many areas of the city, including Stampede Park where the Saddledome is located.

[49] At a press conference held on June 22, 2013, team president Ken King stated that the arena had flooded up to the eighth row and that the event level of the facility was a "total loss".

He added that the team's equipment and some memorabilia had also been destroyed, but expressed confidence that the facility would be repaired and ready in time for the October start to the 2013–14 Calgary Flames season.

The facility was granted its occupancy permit in late August, and the first event following the Saddledome's reopening was an Eagles concert on September 11.

[63] Many other top acts have made stops in the Saddledome; however, the inability of the roof to support the massive light, speaker and special effect rigs that some performers currently use has led the city to again be bypassed for some major tours.

[64] In addition to hockey and figure skating at the 1988 Olympics,[65] the Saddledome has been the site of numerous major national and international events.

Its mandate was to "oversee the operation in a manner that protects taxpayers and benefits amateur sports at the local, provincial and national level".

[64] Only Madison Square Garden in New York City and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle are older than the Saddledome; however, Madison Square Garden underwent significant interior renovations during the NHL off-seasons between 2010 and 2013, while Climate Pledge Arena was rebuilt under the original 1962 superstructure of the Washington State Pavilion from 2018 until its reopening in 2021.

Along with Edwards, sports financial analysts note that newer arenas generate far more revenue for their teams than the Saddledome does for the Flames.

[64] While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has lobbied on behalf of both the Flames and the Oilers for government support,[64] Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi and alderman John Mar have stated their opposition using taxpayer money to help fund a new arena.

[22] Some of the plans being considered for Stampede Park would include lowering the city's C-train light rail transit line below ground and run straight into a new facility.

[83] The proposal was shot down in 2017 by Calgary's city council, who voted to support a "plan B" of a new arena on a site adjacent to the existing Saddledome, which is currently used as a parking lot for the Stampede grounds.

As the engineers got further into design work, they realized there are some other things, there weren't enough women's bathrooms as well as there may be too many luxury boxes and not enough seats for regular people.

[95] On October 5, 2023, the City of Calgary, Province of Alberta, and CSEC announced that they had finalized agreements for the Scotia Centre, with district improvements worth $1.22 Billion.

[94][96] On July 22, 2024, ground was broken for the Calgary Event Centre, and its final design and name was unveiled as Scotia Place; the new arena is scheduled to open in time for the 2027–28 NHL season.