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The Senators are thinking about building a new rink downtown


Mackcanuck

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The Senators are contemplating a move downtown.

The group that operates the NHL team — Senators Sports & Entertainment — has confirmed to the Citizen that it is “actively considering the opportunity” to build a new hockey arena on the grounds of LeBreton Flats.

On Sept. 30, the National Capital Commission launched a request for proposals to redevelop as much as 21.4 hectares of land at LeBretonFlats that sits south of the parkway and west of Booth Street. One criteria for the redevelopment proposal is the inclusion of “an attraction of a regional, national or international significance” that is also a “world-class capital destination.”

It’s not a huge surprise that the Senators are looking as if they are moving ahead with an application for a major redevelopment project at LeBreton. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has always said that the franchise needed non-hockey revenue in order to thrive.

Building an arena not just in a more central location, but right on the new LRT line — LeBreton Flats will be served by the new Pimisi Station — could attract more people to the games. The NCC has called for a redevelopment plan that “builds on the investment in the Confederation Line,” which this surely would.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/1210-sens-lebreton

Kanata where the existing arena is,

is about 35km outside of Ottawa proper

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About time, the current Arena is in the middle of nowhere and it still takes hours to get out of the freaking parking lot at the end of the game. Not couting the travel time to get back home for people that live in the east of Ottawa like me.

Plus they have the space downtown!

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When it's such a hassle to go to the game, the idea of going 41 times a year is a total turn-off. But when you can just head straight from work, grab a bite to eat, and go to the game, all by transit, the experience is far more desirable.

I used to work in a government office in Vancouver. The guy who sat next to me had season tickets. Him and his wife would meet up after work, grab dinner, and go to the game. But if either of them weren't feeling up to it, they'd ask their kids if they wanted to go, or on a few occasions, sell them to me for face value. And they'd do this on the day of the game. It was easy to drop everything and go. But if the game was out in Langley (about the same distance), that would have been a pain. As much as him and his wife enjoyed the games, no way would he bother with season's tickets.

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I'm pretty sure not everyone would be to thrilled to travel to 30-40 minutes for just one hockey game, makes more logical sense to have it closer to where it's accessible to everyone could possibly boost up ticket sales.

It definitely will boost ticket sales. Ottawa has basically 100 times the population that Kanata has. I find it stupid that they based their team in Kanata which is extremely far away from the city that they're called, the Ottawa Senators.. Not the Kanata Senators.

Imo, all teams should play in the city they are named after (unless there's two teams in the same area then that would make sense like the New York Giants for example)... Easier for everyone and the city has more people residing within 20 minutes of the stadium by car.

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It definitely will boost ticket sales. Ottawa has basically 100 times the population that Kanata has. I find it stupid that they based their team in Kanata which is extremely far away from the city that they're called, the Ottawa Senators.. Not the Kanata Senators.

Imo, all teams should play in the city they are named after (unless there's two teams in the same area then that would make sense like the New York Giants for example)... Easier for everyone and the city has more people residing within 20 minutes of the stadium by car.

Kanata is part of the city Ottawa. Is is one of it's largest suburb.

But still that's not the point, it is pretty far, specially for people coming from the East or from the other side of the river in Gatineau.

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The arena ain't great. But its not old and decrepit either.

It's also owned by Melnyk as well. Almost like he is writing off that property? And even devalued, out in the burbs, what's it worth, $200 mill? It certainly will go down in value without an anchor tenant. I would not be surprised at all if the ownership in the Palladium is in a different entity and goes bankrupt while Melnyk chases this new development.

It doesn't make a lot of sense.

Melnyk may just become the next Arthur Griffith, who at least was a stand up guy.

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Imo, all teams should play in the city they are named after (unless there's two teams in the same area then that would make sense like the New York Giants for example)... Easier for everyone and the city has more people residing within 20 minutes of the stadium by car.

that's a lot easier said than done. As far as I'm concerned as long as it's in the metro area it's fine.
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