It looks like the Senators soon won't be the only pro hockey team playing full-time at the Canadian Tire Centre. An Associated Press report this week [https://apnews.com/article/pwhl-charge-senators-arena-4c77fb7e783e3462f79a47bb757792b6] indicated the PWHL's Ottawa Charge will also play its home games at the CTC next season. But no one has confirmed anything at this stage. In fact, on TSN 200 on Friday morning, Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld was asked directly if he was in a position to confirm the report. THN's Steve Warne explains why, if he's still there when the Sens pick at 32 next week, London Knights forward Jaxon Cover is a compelling option. "I'm not in a position, but I know there's definitely negotiations and discussions going on with the league," Hirshfeld said. "And so hope to have some announcements coming up in the next couple of weeks. But yes, I know that things are being worked through. And again, as soon as I'm able to comment, I will." That sounded promising. It's also consistent with the AP report, which spoke to sources on the "condition of anonymity because the agreement is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks." The Charge have played their first three seasons at the building everyone still calls the Civic Centre, though its official moniker is TD Place Arena. Whatever you call it, it's not long for this world. As part of the Lansdowne 2.0 project, the Civic Centre, which has always been neatly tucked away under the North Side stands of the football stadium, will be knocked down and fully replaced by a new stand-alone arena, located over in the East end zone. Construction is currently well underway. Crews worked throughout the winter to remove 50,000 cubic metres of soil and are now building the foundation as we speak. The City just put out a video of the progress. As the City originally described the building, it's been "designed to specifically address the needs of professional women’s sports, including the Ottawa Charge, with customized dressing rooms and training spaces." For a pro sports franchise that's only three years old, that sounds amazing in every way, but the Charge wanted no part of it. The new city-owned arena can fit 6,600 fans for hockey, but the Charge are coming off a season where they, according to the AP, averaged nearly 7,000 fans per game last season. Presumably, the team could charge more for their tickets to account for the lower seating capacity, but the Charge clearly believe their future growth will be so good that the new rink's capacity will stunt their growth and future revenue. You certainly can't rule that out. They had four playoff games at Canadian Tire Centre this year that ranged between 11,297 and 16,894 fans. But can they get that in the regular season, night after night, year after year? Even before seeing those playoff numbers, the Professional Women’s Hockey League announced last November that the Charge would not play at the smaller TD Place arena, no matter how beautiful or state-of-the-art it is. At that stage, there were even strong hints that the franchise may have to consider relocating. Instead, if the report is accurate, it looks like they've found a compromise to stay in Ottawa and move in with the Senators. By Steve Warne The Hockey News Report: Former Senator Alex Formenton Now Officially An Unrestricted Free Agent [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/report-former-senator-alex-formenton-now-officially-an-unrestricted-free-agent] Why Haven't The Senators Re-Signed Claude Giroux Yet? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/why-havent-the-senators-re-signed-claude-giroux-yet] Will Senators Enforcer Kurtis MacDermid Be Back With Ottawa Next Season? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/will-senators-enforcer-kurtis-macdermid-be-back-with-ottawa-next-season]
