Ottawa scores NHL outdoor game

By Caroline O’Neill

Another big anniversary will be celebrated in the nation’s capital this year — the NHL’s centennial.

Set for Dec. 16, the 2017 Scotiabank NHL 100 Classic will see the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens face off outdoors at TD Place.

An earlier proposal to hold the game on the lawn in front of the Parliament Buildings was nixed by the federal government as unfeasible from a security and logistical standpoint.

“We have conducted 22 outdoor games to this point and every one of them has created a wealth of memories for our teams, our players, their families and our fans,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a March 17 press conference at the Fairmont Château Laurier. “We expect more of the same at Lansdowne Park.”

The Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Hockey Club met at the old Dey’s Arena on Laurier Avenue — the present site of Confederation Park in Centretown — on the inaugural night of NHL action on Dec. 19, 1917.

The game ended with a 7-4 win for the Canadiens.

As Ottawa plays host to numerous events in honour of 150 years since Confederation, it seems only fitting it should add the NHL’s 100th birthday celebration. This year also marks the Senators’ 25th anniversary and the Stanley Cup’s 125th.

The classic will be the fourth outdoor game for the Habs and the second for the Senators. But it will be the first open-air game held in Ottawa.

More information, including how hockey fans can get their hands on tickets, will be made available closer to the match.