A few notes on this thread:
-CFL to Saskatoon? I can't see it happening. A few hundred million to build a stadium plus not enough corporate support dooms this idea for the forseeable future.
-Brandt Centre expansion resulting in more concerts? Maybe the odd one or two, but nothing too major. Rasing capacity for concerts from 5K to 7K doesn't put you on the A circuit by any means. Credit Union Centre holds 12K plus for end stage concerts, a number that puts them very close to arenas in Calgary and Edmonton, because all of the permanent seating in the building can be used for concerts. It is nice to see them improving Brandt Centre though, it was a bit of a hole.
-CUC falling apart. The renovations that have happened at CUC has definitely brought it forward. It was one of the last arenas constructed without boxes in it, and the change was too long in coming. However, the building is still pretty bare bones, and there are more complaints about the building than that of a Regina sportscaster. Have a look at what the Blades broadcaster has to say about the press facilities:
" I have made it known to people on the bid committee that I wish to be involved in the planning for the building of and design of a new "media-only" gondola for Credit Union Centre. Right now, media facilities at Credit Union Centre barely meet minimum standards, as I understand them, as set down by the Western Hockey League. That's the W.H.L., not Hockey Canada for a World Juniors...for which the C.U.C. is woefully inadequete right now. Make no mistake, The Sports Network (TSN) has been a huge part of the growth of the annual Christmas holiday tournament...to the point where they have a big say on which Canadian city hosts a World Juniors.
They wouldn't like what they see right now...unless the open area of the present Gondola was made their private area...leaving the rest of the media (print and broadcast, from anywhere else) being left out in the cold...literally.
The situation has deteriorated over the years...when I first started broadcasting Blades' games on CJWW in 1994, not only was I located inside one of the Gondola booths...but so was the visiting radio broadcaster. However, as time went on and the need for corporate suites was realized by the building, the decision was made to make the Gondola booths into corporate suites and, first the visiting radio, then our home radio, was told to vacate and work from out of the open area...complete with curtain dividers! In no other W.H.L. rink is the radio broadcasters left in the open with a curtain divider. Yes, in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver the media is in an area where they are amongst the crowd, but that is out of necessity. Chilliwack might be the only place where the situation is less tolerable than it is in Saskatoon, but that building and situation is new!
There hasn't been a nationally-televised C.H.L. Game-of-the-Week on Rogers Sportsnet, outside of the Top Prospects Game, in a long time...mostly because the facilities for them aren't up to their standards. I've been to many rinks and have seen what works and what doesn't work for the media and I think I can be a big help to creating a media-only facility for Credit Union Centre that would work for either the 2010 or 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship, a future Memorial Cup, an important W.H.L. playoff game with television and radio involved...even other sports events!
It won't be the biggest factor in whether Saskatoon gets a major sports event again, but a better-than-average media facility can only help!"
http://www.saskatoonblades.com/News/Loft/#
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