The University of Calgary is exploring the construction of a new stadium on its campus for its various varsity sports teams, after years of quietly fundraising for the project.

Those teams currently play at McMahon Stadium, a shared home for the University of Calgary Dinos and Calgary Stampeders since it was built 66 years ago.

“We’ve known for some time that the Dinos will outlive McMahon Stadium,” said Nick Holt, the dean of UCalgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology.

“We need a long-term solution to ensure the future of Dinos programming.”

That long-term solution could come in the form of a “fit-for-varsity stadium,” in which UCalgary plans to seek bids for design work in the coming days after “quiet phase” fundraising $21 million alongside the Dino’s 5th Quarter, the football team’s alumni group.

According to university officials, the proposal being explored would be a training and competition stadium with a capacity between 3,500 and 7,000 seats that could support multiple Dinos field sports, including football, soccer, and rugby.

The stadium would include a “seasonal dome” to allow for year-round use, and would be open to the public when it’s not in use, Holt told Global News.

“A big part of our vision is making it available to the community,” Holt said. “We know there’s a huge shortage of facilities in Calgary, we also know there’s a massive shortage in the wintertime so our vision is to have a seasonal dome and make it available to the community in the winter.”

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According to Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University, the move signals McMahon Stadium is “not financially viable,” and opens the door to significant redevelopment on the site.

“Building something that’s much more in line with university athletics in Canada seems much more reasonable,” he told Global News.

“Once McMahon is no longer in use, there’s a huge opportunity there to build, whether it’s dorms, building or infrastructure to support a growing campus.”

The move is raising questions about where the Calgary Stampeders will play in the future as the university’s proposal is smaller than typical CFL venues.

In a statement, Calgary Stampeders president Jay McNeil said McMahon Stadium has been “an incredible home” for the team, but the building is “reaching the end of its functional life.”

“The conversation about what comes next must be led by the community it serves,” McNeil’s statement said. “This isn’t just about football — it’s about what Calgarians want for their city: a modern, accessible and welcoming gathering place that supports sport, culture and year‑round community use.”

While the building is owned by the University of Calgary, it’s the McMahon Stadium Society that oversees its operations and upgrades.

The McMahon Stadium Society’s chair, Steve Allan, told Global News he’s “rooting” for the university’s success in its proposal, as conversations are in early stages about a new home for the Stampeders.

“We’ve been working on this for about four years now when I realized we won’t be getting any more money to put into McMahon,” Allan said Thursday.

Last month, Calgary Stampede officials hinted future planned upgrades to the infield seating at GMC Stadium could make way for field sports to be played on the site.

According to Allan, moving the Calgary Stampeders to an upgraded facility on the Stampede Grounds is a logical step.

“The Calgary Stampede already has the guts of a stadium, they attract people down there, they have transportation, they have parking,” Allan said, “They’ve got a lot of what we need so I think it makes a ton of sense.”

Back at the university, officials expect to receive initial designs for a potential stadium by the fall to firm up timelines and costs, with a “more public” campaign to raise funds for the project in the coming months.

According to Holt, officials continue to assess potential locations for the stadium on the campus’ west side, noting the project is “years, not decades” away.

“The key thing is to be on campus to bring the energy to our campus and give something for our students to really get behind,” he said.

McMahon Stadium is set to host the 113th Grey Cup game later this year.

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CALGARY – Mikael Granlund capped off his hat trick scoring on the power play with one second remaining in overtime on Thursday to give the Anaheim Ducks a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.

Granlund has seven goals during a four-game goal streak that has him up to 19 on the season as Anaheim (41-27-4) extended its winning streak to four games.

The Pacific Division-leading Ducks opened the night with a five-point cushion on the Edmonton Oilers and a six-point lead on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Rookie Matvei Gridin and Blake Coleman scored for Calgary (30-34-8), which extended its point streak to five games (4-0-1). Gridin stretched his point streak to four games (one goal, three assists).

Ville Husso, who made 23 saves, improved to 9-7-1.

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Devin Cooley, who had 30 stops, fell to 9-10-4.

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The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Flames. First, Pavel Mintyukov’s turnover in the opening minute of the game resulted in a 3-on-0 breakaway for Calgary but Gridin, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato over-passed it and never got a shot on goal.

Three minutes later, it appeared that Yegor Sharangovich had given Calgary the lead, but Anaheim challenged for offside and the goal was overturned. It was the fifth goal the Flames have had waved off by video review during its homestand.

Calgary eventually took the lead on Coleman’s goal 1:06 into the second period when he redirected Joel Farabee’s pass inside the post. But Granlund tied it on an unassisted goal two minutes later.

Takeaways

Ducks: Lost two defencemen to injury. Radko Gudas (lower body) left the game late in the second period and Mintyukov got hurt when he took a shot from Olli Maata high in his chest in the third.

Flames: Cooley, who entered the game with a .915 save percentage, second to Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood (.916), made several big saves in the third period as the Ducks outshot Calgary 15-8. Two of the stops were acrobatic pad saves off dangerous chances from Anaheim’s leading marksman Cutter Gauthier.

Key moment

Trailing 2-1 with less than four minutes left in the third period, Anaheim tied it on the power play. John Carlson’s slapshot was stopped but Cooley’s rebound went right to Granlund at the side of the net and he cashed it in from a sharp angle.

Key stat

The Flames are 6-4-1 since the trade deadline when they dealt away veterans Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar.

Up next

Ducks: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Flames: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.

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NHL general managers have until 3 p.m. ET on Friday to make a splash, tweak the edges of their roster, or secure deals with an eye toward the future.

The Canadian Press takes a look at some of the players who could be on the move before the bell sounds and GMs put down their pencils:

NAZEM KADRI

The hard-nosed Calgary Flames centre would be a welcome addition to any team looking to make a playoff push. A Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, the 35-year-old Kadri had 12 goals and 41 points through 60 games in 2025-26 heading into Thursday’s action. His contract also includes three more seasons with an average annual value (AAV) of US$7 million. Calgary dealt defenceman MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday.

ROBERT THOMAS

The two-way centre is just 26 and has five years remaining on a deal that carries an AVV of $8.125 million, but his St. Louis Blues are clearly in a rebuild near the bottom of the NHL standings. Thomas, who won the Cup in 2019, has 13 goals and 37 points across 44 games this season.

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VINCENT TROCHECK

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Coming off a gold medal with the United States at the Milan Cortina Olympics, the 32-year-old centre with 12 goals and 39 points in 2025-26 could also be heading out the door with the New York Rangers looking to retool. Trocheck’s contract has an AAV of $5.625 million for the next three seasons.

BOBBY MCMANN

The 29-year-old pending unrestricted free agent winger with power and speed has put up 19 goals and 32 points in 60 games for the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. A late-bloomer, McMann has played a total of 200 regular-season contests in the NHL, registering 91 points (54 goals, 37 assists) and 121 penalty minutes. Toronto traded centre Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

BLAKE COLEMAN

Much like Kadri, the 34-year-old winger’s age doesn’t fit the Flames’ rebuild timeline. Coleman, who has one season left on his deal at $4.9 million, has produced 13 goals and 22 points in 48 contests this season. He won the Cup in both 2020 and 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

RASMUS RISTOLAINEN

The big, right-shot defenceman has registered one goal and five assists as part of an injury-hit campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers. The 32-year-old Ristolainen, who has one season left on his current deal at $5.1 million, could help shore up a contender’s blue-line corps.

JUSTIN FAULK

Also a right-shot defender, the 33-year-old is another St. Louis trade chip potentially heading out the door. The dependable, offensively gifted Faulk has 11 goals and 32 points in 2025-26. His contract runs through next season at $6.5 million.

SCOTT LAUGHTON

The gritty centre seems likely to be heading for a Toronto exit with unrestricted free agency looming. The 31-year-old Laughton has eight goals and four assists in a campaign that included significant time away due to injury. The Maple Leafs paid a heavy price for Laughton at last year’s trade deadline when they acquired him from the Flyers in a swap that included a first-round pick going the other way.

CONOR GARLAND

The 29-year-old winger has five seasons left on a contract with an AAV of $4.95 million, but his Vancouver Canucks are another club in clear rebuild mode. Garland has seven goals and 26 points across 50 games in 2025-26. The Canucks dealt right-shot defenceman Tyler Myers to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

EVANDER KANE

The 34-year-old pending UFA is a proven playoff performer, including back-to-back Cup final appearances with the Edmonton Oilers in 2024 and 2025. Kane and his $5.125 million cap hit were traded to Vancouver last off-season, but he could have another new address by the weekend following a season that’s seen the winger register 11 goals and 27 points in 59 games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.

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CALGARY – Devin Cooley was the first to admit that his second career start against the Edmonton Oilers went way better than his first.

Cooley made 36 saves on Wednesday to backstop the Calgary Flames to a 4-3 victory over Edmonton as both teams wrapped up play and now head into the Olympic break.

“It was honestly really fun,” said Cooley.

“When it’s back and forth, and maybe I give up a goal that I don’t really want to give up and it’s like, oh, shoot, now it’s tied again. We’re going to the third, they get a power play. That’s what I live for, that’s where I have the most amount of fun, and it’s where you get the most amount of adrenaline and it’s awesome.”

It was in his fifth career start, while he was with the San Jose Sharks, when the Oilers lit up Cooley for eight goals on 22 shots before he was pulled 14 minutes into the second period.

“I’m glad that tonight went a lot better than that one,” said Cooley, laughing as he recounted that night on April 14, 2024. “Those are the games where it’s like get me out of here. I’m not really enjoying it. I’m glad I was I was able to get some redemption.”

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Cooley’s impressive body of work on Wednesday night, eight of his stops coming against NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid, who failed to get a puck past him, epitomized how his rookie season has gone so far.

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Despite Calgary (23-27-6) languishing near the bottom of the overall standings, Cooley hits the Olympic break with a 7-6-3 record

Of 74 goalies with five or more starts, Cooley’s .921 save percentage ranks him No. 1. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is second at .918.

“It’s nice to see him have such success early in the year for us. He’s come in and done a very good job,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska. “He’s allowed us to take some of the load off of Dustin (Wolf) and when he’s been in that, he’s given us a chance to win every night.”

That trust from the coach took a while to build, though.

After winning the backup job in training camp, despite going 0-2 with a .846 save percentage, Cooley only started twice in the first 16 games. When Calgary opened the season with games on back-to-back nights and three games in four days, Wolf started all of them.

But Cooley’s consistent play has earned him more playing time and the last 12 games have been split six games each.

“I actually thought early in the game he looked a little shaky, and then once the game went on, he looked really comfortable,” said Huska. “Sometimes when a goaltender lets one in that he doesn’t want to go in, or he thinks he should have had, they typically dig right in from that point.

“That was the feeling we had on the bench tonight, and he most definitely did that as the game went on in the third.”

Calgary led 3-2 in the third when Kasperi Kapanen tied it for Edmonton on a shot that Cooley partially stopped, but it rolled down his arm and dribbled over the line.

But the Flames answered right back with Ryan Lomberg scoring the game-winner less than three minutes later.

“He’s an easy guy to play for, for sure,” said Lomberg. “His personality and the character he has, he’s great in our locker room and the boys love him and are hungry to play in front of him.”

Full of personality, colourful quotes and the owner of a rabbit, Tito, who has his own cult social media following, Cooley is a vibrant character off the ice and Huska said it’s the same on the ice.

“I try not to listen to any of the comments that come out of his mouth,” said the Flames bench boss with a smile. “He’s very much a free spirit. The players really enjoy having him around, and they really enjoy playing in front of him. There’s something to be said about people that have a positive vibe or an aura about them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026.

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CALGARY – Rookie Matvei Gridin had a goal and an assist for his first multi-point NHL game to lead the Calgary Flames to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Lomberg, with the game-winner, also scored for Calgary (23-27-6). Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar and Zach Whitecloud had two assists apiece.

The Flames took the season series against their provincial rival winning of three of four meetings.

Leon Draisaitl, with two goals, and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Edmonton (28-22-8) as the Oilers limp into the Olympic Break on a three-game losing skid.

Flames goaltender Devin Cooley had 36 stops to record the win and improve to 7-6-3.

Suffering the loss was Tristan Jarry, who had 21 saves to fall to 15-7-2.

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The Flames never trailed with Huberdeau opening the scoring 3:12 into the game and after Draisaitl tied it, Gridin restored Calgary’s lead at 14:44 of the first period.

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With the lead up to 3-1, Draisaitl’s second of the game on the power play got the Oilers back within one at 18:26 of the second period.

Kapanen tied it 4:17 into the third.

Both teams now hit the Olympic break where they’ll be off for three weeks before returning to action in California where both will begin three-game road trips.

Takeaways

Oilers: Edmonton has now surrendered goals on five consecutive penalty kills thanks to Calgary converting each of its first two power plays in the first period. Edmonton lost on the road in regulation for the first time since the Flames beat them 3-2 on Dec. 27. They had been 4-0-1 since.

Flames: Gridin’s third career goal was his second in three games as the 19-year-old continues to impress on a line with Huberdeau and Morgan Frost. Joel Farabee has also played well of late with goals in each of the past two games, but he wasn’t able to extend the streak to three.

Key moment

A bouncing puck in front of the Oilers net went on net off the skate of Lomberg, forcing Jarry to kick out his pad, and Lomberg buried the rebound 6:44 into the third.

Key stat

Draisaitl (1,036) moved past Mark Messier (1,034) into fourth on the Oilers’ all-time points list. Draisaitl is seven back of Jari Kurri for third. Wayne Gretzky (1,669) leads, followed by Connor McDavid (1,178).

Up next

Oilers: Head to Anaheim to face the Ducks on Feb. 25.

Flames: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press