Low ticket sales lead Sens to plan smaller downtown stadium
By Brendan Duffley
A new arena set to be constructed as part of the proposed revitalization of LeBreton Flats became the subject of controversy earlier this month after Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators, announced to reporters that the proposed facility would only contain between 15,000 and 17,000 seats. The arena, set to become the new Sensplex, was designed by the RendezVous LeBreton Group. Their proposal was selected by the National Capital Commission (NCC) last November, and negotiations are still underway to determine how the group’s vision for the area could become a reality.
While addressing a news conference on Sept. 7, Melnyk also revealed plans to remove 1,500 seats from the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators owner cited the waning demand for season tickets as the reason for both the removal and the revision to the design of the LeBreton Sensplex. Both decisions were made so that each arena would be better suited for the typical attendance of the Senators’ games.
Melnyk’s description of declining ticket sales in the capital region seemed at odds with the plan to host a game celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NHL in Ottawa, and raised the question of whether the move to reduce the seating capacity of the Canadian Tire Centre and the proposed LeBreton Sensplex was the right one.
Speaking on behalf of Ottawa Tourism, a major destination marketing organization for Canada’s capital, Communications Director Jantine Van Kregten described the prominent role hockey plays in attracting visitors to Ottawa. From her observations, “It’s definitely part of the mix that attracts people to [the city].”
While Ottawa Tourism’s board of directors has not yet discussed the issues a smaller LeBreton Sensplex could raise, Van Kregten explained that it is ultimately the purview of the Ottawa Senators to build the arena that will work best for them. Considering who most Senators tickets are sold to, she added that it would be the demand from Ottawa’s citizens, rather than out-of-towners, that would most likely influence the design of the new arena.
“I don’t think we see thousands and thousands of people come from Tampa or Phoenix or Los Angeles to regular season games,” she said. “They’re not the ones that are buying out the stadiums and arenas. It would be locals and the immediately surrounding communities that are the bulk of the attendance.”
One such local is Michael Powell, president of the Dalhousie Community Association (DCA). The DCA is a group of citizens residing in Ottawa’s Somerset Ward who frequently volunteer for projects that can improve their neighbourhood. Powell and other members of the association have been keeping an eye on the negotiations concerning LeBreton Flats, and are keen to see how the plans for the area will unfold.
“From a community perspective,” Powell said. “Our interest in the LeBreton redevelopment has less to do with what the final makeup of the inside of the arena is, and more with how, as a community, the whole area is transformed.”
In Powell’s opinion, the number of people who choose to live in and visit LeBreton Flats for more than just the new Sensplex will be what determines whether the revitalization was successful or not. “After all, people will go to an arena anywhere,” he said. “We’ve shown that with the Canadian Tire Centre for the last 21 years!”