08/13/25
August 11, 2025
Ottawa Senators, NCC complete sale agreement for 11 acres at LeBreton Flats.: Cyril Leeder (Senators C.E.O.):
“There are still many more hurdles to clear, and we look forward to working with the NCC and other stakeholders to achieve our shared vision of creating an event centre at LeBreton Flats that can be enjoyed by our Ottawa-Gatineau community.”
posted by tommybiden to hockey at 03:14 PM - 5 comments
How's the bus/rail system in downtown Ottawa?
People that live in Raleigh are pining for a downtown hockey arena, but since there is no rail service and a bus service that is somehow worse than the rail situation, I would probably never go to another game. Since at least half of all in attendance don't live in Raleigh itself and most of those that do, live quite a ways from downtown, so it would be a nightmare to get in and out of the arena in a car. Besides, it would mean the death of our awesome tailgate culture that we have going on.
posted by NoMich at 03:29 PM on August 11, 2025
Uhhhhhh, haha, the transit system in Ottawa is a work in progress. The powers that be rolled it out live likely a full year before they should have.
They seem to be working the bugs out slowly but surely.
The L.R.T. system has been plagued by glitches, literal freeze ups and accidents over the past number of years. The Senators plan to remain in the west end for ~5 more years. Hopefully the city will have extended (as is planned) stations to the far west end of the city by then. The biggest bus (OC Transpo, which according to family observations, is good) issue is the city/region has only one expressway, which is completely clogged on a daily basis. There are dedicated H.O. & Bus lanes, which help but not amazing.
The Senators are moving towards far more fans than they're moving away from. To the west, north, south of Kanata, there are bedroom towns, but no major population centres until you hit Kingston, ~200km away.
posted by tommybiden at 04:02 PM on August 11, 2025
Arlington, Texas remains the largest city in the US without a fixed route mass transit system.
Many tax dollars have gone into funding new sports facilities instead.
And we recently learned here on SpoFi about how abhorrent the Stars have become in imposing a stranglehold on the central Texas hockey community.
According to one of the comments that follow this Defector piece (the comments are almost as blistering as the piece itself), no one in Arlington cares about the Cowboys.
The article includes this insight into area highway conditions:
"Every Dallas resident has a fetish for sitting dead-stopped on a 10-lane highway alongside a bunch of other unhappy people, all driving the largest car available."
At least things are trending upward in one other sporting region of the continent.
posted by beaverboard at 04:52 PM on August 11, 2025
Though, the Ottawa PWHL club's facility is scheduled for renovations, shrinking capacity by over 2,000 seats.
The club regularly sells out or nearly so.
Oy.
posted by tommybiden at 07:52 PM on August 11, 2025
As a Maple Leafs fan with Senators fans in my family, fantastic news. Solidifies the Ottawa franchise in the nation's capital. A much more centrally located arena, allowing the club to draw fans more easily from western Quebec.