The Ottawa Senators are hoping to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in a truly Canadian way – an outdoor hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens on the front lawn of Parliament Hill.
But their hopes of turning the home of Canadian government into the home of Canadian hockey may be easier said than done. There are a number of rules on the use of the Hill that would have to be broken in order to turn the fantasy into a reality.
According to the Government of Canada website, the list of banned activities on Parliament Hill include: organized sporting events, charging admission fees, selling alcohol, selling food, structures of any kind (props, billboards, etc.) and commercial advertising — all of which are key aspects of any NHL game, including the annual Winter Classic outdoor events.
Despite these obstacles, government officials have reportedly been working with the team and the NHL to make the event happen. While it has been suggested that TD Place would be a more suitable venue for the game, the Senators don’t seem to have a Plan B in mind.
Team president Cyril Leeder told TSN 1200 recently: “(TD Place) is not an option we’ve looked at, at all, in any detail, and we’ve been really focused on the Hill.”
Along with Canada’s milestone birthday, the game would also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first ever NHL game, when Ottawa took on Montreal in the capital in 1917, and the 25th anniversary of the modern-day Ottawa Senators.