Ottawa Charge Moves In With The Senators, But Are They Moving Too Fast?
How will the PWHL's Ottawa Charge fare in the Senators' building, which holds more than twice as many fans as the Charge's rink at Lansdowne?
It’s official. The Senators are about to be joined by a second pro hockey team making Canadian Tire Centre their home.
After three seasons at TD Place, the Ottawa Charge announced Thursday they've signed a multi-year agreement to move to Canadian Tire Centre full-time, beginning next season.
Senators President and CEO Cyril Leeder was part of the announcement, along with Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld, and forward Rebecca Leslie, the hometown hero who led the Charge in goals in both the regular season and playoffs.
“Senators Sports & Entertainment is proud to officially welcome the Ottawa Charge to Canadian Tire Centre,” Leeder said. “The Ottawa-Gatineau region is fortunate to have two professional hockey teams competing at the highest level. In a short period of time, the Charge have developed a substantial following and fanbase, and they have become an important part of our local hockey ecosystem.”
Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa is currently building a new 6,500-seat arena at Lansdowne that was expected to become the Charge's permanent home. But the PWHL decided the building would be too small to accommodate both its current average attendance (8131) and its long-term growth plans.
In their recent past, the Charge have played six games at the CTC and have averaged 13,641 fans a game there, which is compelling, and certainly every Ottawa hockey fan hopes those types of numbers continue.
But a full regular season of PWHL games in an NHL building will be a much different test than the special occasion of the playoffs, and that's one of the reasonable concerns about this move.
For example, one of the best things about the Charge in their first three seasons has been that demand is in the same neck of the woods as supply. Can that happen for them in an 18,000-seat NHL arena? Smaller venues create urgency for tickets. Fans are willing to buy earlier and pay more because they know tickets are limited.
Over the course of the 15-game regular season now at the CTC, on nights when they maintain their average attendance, the Charge may find themselves playing in front of 10,000 empty seats, and there’s a risk that urgency could disappear.
A full house also creates a much better TV product than 8100 fans scattered through an 18,000-seat arena. Empty seats are hard to ignore on television, and perception can matter to prospective fans and sponsors.
These are part of the reasons the Senators have reduced the building's seating capacity over the years.
And then there’s location. The Senators eventually want to leave Kanata and get to a central location. The Charge is leaving a central location to get to Kanata. Lansdowne is a desirable location that’s easier to get to for a lot of people, including the players, and there’s certainly more to do around the building before and after games.
I hope this move proves to be the right one. Nothing would be better than seeing the Charge fill Canadian Tire Centre every night. But until that happens, it's fair to wonder whether the PWHL is moving too far and too fast when it already has something here that's working really well.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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