Calgary Flames victory over the Winnipeg Jets could cost the city major event
Last night the Calgary Flames defeated the Winnipeg Jets in a must win game. The victory moved the Flames into a tie with the Jets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. While the Flames will still need to win and some help to get into the playoffs, the loss could certainly cost the city.
It had been rumored for months that Calgary was a possible destination for the UFC and their upcoming UFC 289 pay-per-view, but it sounds like they may now be a long shot.
Developing: I'm told that the longer the Calgary Flames remain in playoff contention, the more uncertain it is that UFC 289 will be held there.
The backup plan is to hold it in a major city where the NHL team is eliminated from the playoffs like Vancouver or Montreal.
The soonest that the Flames could be mathematically eliminated is Monday (hat tip to my colleague @salimvalji for the info).
The UFC typically like to have tickets for PPV events on sale about 8 weeks in advance and that ship has sailed.
While Flames fans surely would love to watch playoff hockey, it's not difficult to see a situation where the City ends up with neither playoff hockey or the UFC pay-per-view. This is just another interesting wrinkle of the behind the scenes activities that NHL teams face.
POLL |
AVRIL 6 | 86 ANSWERS Calgary Flames victory over the Winnipeg Jets could cost the city major event What would you rather watch? |
Playoff hockey | 79 | 91.9 % |
UFC fights | 7 | 8.1 % |
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