The Flames walked away for sure, but the city's public positions were pretty inflexible as well. Plenty of blame on that one. The path to the deal is pretty clear - waiving the property taxes on the city offer and all the numbers work.
I don't know. The Flames' position was pretty over the top. I'm not sure if everyone read the Globe article that Carrie Tait around the time of the negotiations
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/calgary-flames-owner-eyes-more-than-just-a-new-arena/article36521316/ , but the demands asked by the Flames were over the top:
- Option to buy land new the events complex
- Portion of Stampede Casino Revenue (which goes to the Calgary Stampede)
- All parking revenue from major events
- City to cover flood insurance
- City to reimburse Flames for provincial property taxes
- City to fund a gathering space for festivals adjacent to the arena
- Flames to approve any master plan to revitalize Victoria Park
A position like this, called anchoring, is intended to make outrageous demands, so that any final deal looks reasonable in comparison. Pshychologists suggest that when one negotiating party starts with such an outrageous demand, the best tactic isn't to try and bring them down from that position, but rather to simply walk away. You need to refuse to be anchored to any particular number or proposal as a basic tenant of the negotiation.