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Bret Hart Banner Raised To Rafters Of Calgary Saddledome (VIDEO)

By John Canton • Published 11th March 2023
bret hart calgary hitmen

A banner honoring Bret Hart was raised to the rafters of the Calgary Saddledome to honor the wrestling legend who has a hockey team named after him.

When it comes to pro wrestling, Bret “Hitman” Hart is highly regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

During his WWE career, Bret Hart started as a tag team wrestler with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart as they formed a team called The Hart Foundation. They had two championship reigns and are remembered as one of the best teams ever.

When it was time to go on his own in 1991, Bret was ready for it as he put on wrestling clinics. Fans still talk about his SummerSlam 1991 classic match Mr. Perfect that saw Bret

By 1992, Bret Hart was ready to ascend to the main event level. Bret won his first WWE World Title from Ric Flair and would go on to win five total World Titles in WWE before his departure in 1997.

After joining WCW, Bret became a two-time World Heavyweight Champion while there as well before retiring in 1999.

For his incredible contributions to pro wrestling, Bret was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice – 2006 as a singles star and in 2019 as part of The Hart Foundation team.

One of the most famous matches in the career of Bret Hart took place at Canadian Stampede 1997 in his hometown of Calgary at the Saddledome (now known as the Scotiabank Saddledome). Bret teamed with his brother Owen, Jim Neidhart, The British Bulldog & Brian Pillman to beat Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, Hawk & Animal in front of a raucous crowd that was rooting for the hometown team.

The city of Calgary also named the WHL’s (Western Hockey League) Calgary Hitmen after Bret when the team was founded in 1994.

Last month, the Calgary Hitmen announced they would pay tribute to Bret today. Calgary Hitmen Business Manager Amy Bontorin had this to say about the Hitman.

“Bret is our namesake and has been an ambassador of our brand from day one. We look forward to honouring him and having his banner as a permanent fixture at the Saddledome.”

At the ceremony prior to today’s Calgary Hitmen game, Bret Hart was joined on the ice by his wife, children and grandchildren as they watched the banner get raised in the Saddledome, which plays host to the NHL’s Calgary Flames as well. The video of the banner raising can be seen below.

Steve Argintaru shared more about the tribute to Bret Hart as well.