The Professional Women’s Hockey League has confirmed that the Ottawa Charge will not take the ice at the new reduced-capacity arena approved under the City of Ottawa’s Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan. Read MoreThe Professional Women’s Hockey League says it is discussing alternatives to the 5,850 seat arena approved as part of the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League says it is discussing alternatives to the 5,850 seat arena approved as part of the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan.
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The Professional Women’s Hockey League has confirmed that the Ottawa Charge will not take the ice at the new reduced-capacity arena approved under the City of Ottawa’s Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan.
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“Every option is on the table at this point, but we’ve certainly been clear with OSEG and the city that we will not go backwards,” Amy Scheer, the PWHL’s senior vice-president of business operations, said in a media availability Tuesday.
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“These women have worked too hard to get to the point today where a 5,500 seat building is well below what we average in Ottawa, so we will not play at Lansdowne 2.0 — that’s the one option not on the table.”
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The Evening Citizen
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Approved by city council in a narrow vote on Nov. 7, the Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment plan would reduce the size of the arena to 5,850 seats, with standing room bringing total capacity to 6,600 fans.
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Scheer did not disclose which alternatives were being discussed for the Ottawa Charge or if relocating the team was a possibility, only stating that “every option is on the table.”
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“We are working through all of those options right now, and we certainly don’t want to leave Ottawa,” Scheer said. “We chose Ottawa for a reason, and the fans have been wonderfully supportive of us there, and we’d like to find a solution that works for us to stay in Ottawa. But the city hasn’t made it easy for us, and it’s disappointing.”
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The PWHL could be looking at a few other options for the Charge to stay in Ottawa, including the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata (current home of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators), or the proposed new arena at LeBreton Flats.
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“We’re having discussions with everyone, and, ultimately, once we conclude those conversations, we’ll sit down as a leadership team with the advisory board and make a decision on what the preference is and where to go,” Scheer said.
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Throughout the months-long Lansdowne 2.0 negotiation process, Scheer said the PWHL had been clear that the proposed arena at Lansdowne would be too small for the Ottawa Charge’s growing fanbase. She said the league asked for a seat at the table to discuss capacity concerns with the city and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.
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When the final plans for Lansdowne 2.0 were released with capacity concerns unaddressed, Scheer said the league realized it had been left out of the discussion.