The day is finally here, folks. On Saturday night, Miikka Kiprusoff will be immortalized as a titan of Calgary Flames lore when his #34 jersey number will be raised to the rafters of the Saddledome. If you’re a Flames fan, inevitably you’ll want to experience this event.
Here’s how to check it out!
In person
We’re biased, but the best way to experience a jersey retirement ceremony is watching it from the Saddledome with your own two eyes. As of this writing, there are some tickets available on the primary market (e.g., via Ticketmaster or the Flames) but it’s expected to be a sell-out, so act fast if you want to go. (We’re expecting that there will be some tickets available on the secondary market, too, if that’s your thing.)
This is a late game on Hockey Night in Canada with an 8:10 p.m. MT puck drop. The ceremony is set for before the game. The Saddledome will open doors at 5:30 p.m. MT, the ceremony begins at 6:20 p.m. MT, then warm-ups will be at 7:30 p.m. MT (as usual) and then the game.
They’ll have to tear down the stage and flood the ice before warm-ups, so that would be a good time to stretch your legs, socialize and/or purchase merch and snacks.
On the radio
If you’re away from the ‘Dome and unable to be near a screen during the ceremony, our pals at Sportsnet 960 The Fan have you covered. They’ll have the full ceremony live on the radio, and our understanding is it’ll be archived on their website afterwards for your listening pleasure.
(And the game, as usual, will be presented in its entirety on 960, with Derek Wills, Meaghan Mikkelson and Pat Steinberg.)
On television
Finally, if you’re by your television, Sportsnet 360 will carry the whole thing live. If you’re PVRing it, our best advice is to add some time onto the program block: the listings have the block as 6:20-7:00, but you never know if it might run long by a little bit. (They have a schedule to stick to, but better safe than sorry.)
The game itself runs on CBC, Sportsnet’s national feed, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet One and City TV. (Basically, if it’s possible for a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast to be carried, Flames vs. Penguins will be on that channel.)
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