PWHL Ottawa may have a good reason for appearing nonplussed regarding the potential capacity reduction of a new Lansdowne Arena...and it may be because their future is elsewhere in LeBreton Flats.
PWHL Ottawa may have a good reason for appearing nonplussed regarding the potential capacity reduction of a new Lansdowne Arena...and it may be because their future is elsewhere in LeBreton Flats.
If the City of Ottawa can be believe, they've stated the PWHL and PWHL Ottawa are in favor of arena plans that would result in a reduction of capacity by at least 2,000 fans and 3,000 seats from TD Place Arena, to the proposed new facility.
PWHL Ottawa fans, however, are not on board with the idea taking up letter writing campaigns and starting online petitions to voice their concerns to the City of Ottawa.
Perhaps however, there may be a good reason the PWHL is not focused on TD Place Arena and the future of Lansdowne Park.
That reason could be LeBreton Flats. The location is the proposed site for a new Downtown arena for the NHL's Ottawa Senators, and given the PWHL's ongoing relationship with the NHL and in market teams, it's highly likely any current conversation on the construction of a new NHL sized rink would also include discussions of sharing the facility with PWHL Ottawa.
According to a CTV News Ottawa interview with National Capital Commission CEO Tobi Nussbaum from January, the group expects to formally sign a lease for the property by this fall with the intentions of building a new arena on the site.
"We're in a period now of due diligence and further discussions on the basis of the MOU that was signed in June last year," Nussbaum told CTV Ottawa. "We're feeling very optimistic, and the intention is still to have a formal lease signed in the fall of 2023."
As Nussabaum said in an update this week, "the conversations are ongoing and there is a will on both sides. That is clear. Both sides are hoping to be able to come to an agreement."
The sides have also set a firm deadline for September to have the lease complete.
While many thought NHL venues would be too large for the PWHL, that's been disproven many times in the inaugural season. Minnesota drew multiple crowds of more than 13,000 fans, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto sold out at 19,285 and the Bell Center in Montreal sold out with 21,105 in attendance.
Montreal and Toronto are both in search of larger venues as Montreal sold out the 10,172 seat Place Bell in Laval three times this season, compared to playing at Verdun where their largest sold out crowd was 3,245. The largest crowd Toronto was able to draw at Mattamy Athletic Center was 2,620. When the team moved to Coca-Cola Coliseum for the playoffs, they sold out each game averaging more than 8,500 seats.
The league has proved the PWHL needs capacity above 5,000 seats, particularly in Canadian markets.
While Lansdowne and TD Place Arena have been stellar for PWHL Ottawa thus far, and TD Place will continue to house Ottawa for the foreseeable future, if the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and City of Ottawa aren't willing to listen to fans, it could spark a move alongside the Senators if and when a deal for LeBreton Flats gets done.