The Ottawa Senators will spend at least another four to six seasons playing at Canadian Tire Centre, as talks continue between the NHL club and the National Capital Commission on building a new arena at LeBreton Flats.
Senators president and chief executive officer Cyril Leeder provided an update on the Senators’ plans to move to a new arena on CTV Morning Live and TSN 1200 Friday morning. Last September, the NCC and the Senators announced an agreement in principle had been reached for the club to buy just over 10 acres of land west of downtown Ottawa to build an arena.
Speaking on TSN 1200’s Mornings with John Rodenberg and Steve Lloyd, Leeder said the Senators are set to move into a new phase.
“We are making progress there; I’m cautiously optimistic,” Leeder said. “We’re about to get into another phase there where we’re into design, development and approvals and financing. That’s all going to have to get done and that’s going to take a bunch of time. We still think it’s the right place for the arena to be downtown.”
Leeder says fans will start to see progress at LeBreton Flats over the next few years, but it’s “four, five, six years” before the Senators drop the puck for the first game at new arena.
NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum said in January that he hopes to finalize a deal with the Senators to buy the land by the end of 2025.
When asked about the public perception that the talks between the Senators and the NCC are taking a long time, Leeder said development “takes time.”
“If we bought a piece of land in Kanata right now and we’re trying to build a house, it would be four to five years before the first house is built. Development takes time,” Leeder said.
“There’s a bunch of things that have to take place, Not the least of which is this is a contaminated site. This is one of the more complicated projects in a complicated situation,” Leeder said, adding he wouldn’t get into specifics on the length of negotiations.
“I don’t blame the NCC, I think it’s just part of the process. It just takes time.”
The Senators have previously said the cost of a new arena would be in the range of $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion.
Upgrades at Canadian Tire Centre
As the Senators work on plans to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats, Leeder said the club is committed to maintaining the 30-year-old Canadian Tire Centre.
“We’ll probably invest between $5-$7 million this year…. just to maintain what we have,” Leeder said. “We’re not going to be enhancing the building. If we made the decision we’re not moving, we’re going to stay in Kanata, we’d have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to kind of get the building right and get it to the spot you’d want to have for the next 30-40 years.”
Leeder said the Senators are looking to invest in the building to “keep it at a high level, keep it looking good.”
The Senators have been changing out the lights at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Leeder says the Senators will also be replacing the lower bowl seats, replacing aging elevators and enhancing some of the suites.
Boost in ticket sales
Leeder says the club’s play on the ice is boosting excitement among Senators fans as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
“There’s a real different atmosphere at the arena now. If you’ve been there in the last month, you’ll notice that. Fans are sensing there’s something special happening here,” Leeder told CTV Morning Live. “The building has been electric.”
Leeder says the Senators saw its busiest month for season ticket sales as the Senators keep winning.
“I really do believe it’s the players and the fact that they’re challenging for a playoff spot that’s really got the excitement of the city,” Leeder said. “We’re seeing it on season tickets; we had our best month on selling new season tickets and our playoff tickets, we’ve started selling them to our season ticket holders.”
