Fans of the Ottawa 67’s may walk out if their team relocates once construction at Lansdowne Park begins.
Amid explosive debate over the Lansdowne Live proposal, Ottawa 67’s ticketholders are beginning to ask just how much their hockey season will be affected if construction begins, says the team’s season ticket co-ordinator.
“People are definitely interested [in Lansdowne Live],” says Adam Morissette.
While many supportive fans have rallied around the cause at events such as the Landsdowne Live public forum, some fans worry that construction will mean temporarily relocating, forcing them to travel to other ends of the city to catch a game.
“There is no way I would go all the way out to Orleans or Kanata,” says Paul St-Laurent, an Ottawa 67’s fan who lives walking distance from the arena.
St-Laurent says he goes to games because of the location and cost.
While in support of the proposed arena upgrades, he says “it is very important that the arena stay in its present location.”
Nestled in the Glebe, the Urbandale Centre – formerly Ottawa Civic – seats nearly 10,000 people and has hosted numerous events, such as the 1990 IIHF Women’s World Ice Hockey Championships and the 2009 Junior World Hockey Championships.
The arena has been the permanent home for the OHL junior men’s team, Ottawa 67’s, for over four decades.
Needless to say, the arena has had its fair share of “roughing” over the years.
Four Ottawa businessmen, who comprise the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, John Ruddy, Roger Greenberg, Jeff Hunt and William Shenkman, hope to revitalize the arena as part of the Lansdowne Live proposal.
Plans for the arena include a new floor on the concourse, washroom and concession area upgrades, fixing the leaky roof and installing an elevator.
But construction inside the centre may not be as disruptive as one might think, says Randy Burgess, vice-president of the Ottawa 67’s hockey club.
Upgrades to the building could probably be done in the off-season, he says.
If council were to approve the Lansdowne proposal, new construction would take place along Bank Street at the Rideau Canal, only in places where nothing currently exists.
It would also affect the south side of the football stadium, where an existing upper grandstand would be torn down and replaced by a new 10,000 seat structure.
These major changes will have minimal impact on the arena, Burgess says.
He adds the creation of the “front lawn” component – Lansdowne’s new greenspace – will definitely affect parking, but underground on-site parking will be built by then and the city’s new transportation plan for Lansdowne will be implemented.
Currently, there are only parking problems when multiple events are going on at the same time at Lansdowne, such as the home show, Christmas craft show, or wedding show.
On a greater scale, Lansdowne Live proposes tearing down Frank Clair Stadium and replacing it with a layout supportive of a
Canadian football club and possibly a professional soccer team.
Also in the plan are practice soccer pitches and baseball fields, a Koi Koi pond, a walk-through aquarium, shops and restaurants, residential condos, greenspace, and a 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre.
Burgess says it's impossible to say when construction would begin, but he’s hopeful the new stadium will be ready by 2013.
The future of the 37-acre property in the Glebe is uncertain for now, but 67’s fans shouldn’t worry about the team relocating any time soon, says Morissette.
“Until we hear any different, we fully intend on playing our hockey season here.”
He adds that with some 3,500 season ticket holders, this season’s ticket sales are on par with last year’s.