For a brief time in the early 1980s, I lived in Montreal, an exciting city in general for a twentysomething-year-old, and especially so for a hockey fan who had moved there from Ottawa, where a return to the NHL was still a decade away.
For $8 — the equivalent today of about 24 bucks — I could attend a game at the Forum at Atwater and Ste-Catherine, an edifice described by The Sporting News as “the most storied building in hockey history.” Going to a game there was like going to church.
The hockey, though, was only one part of my gameday ritual. I’d typically head downtown early and drop into Argo bookstore or International magazine shop, both near the Forum, for some browsing — and perhaps, if I was flush, some buying. Post-game, any number of downtown establishments beckoned. The bars on Bishop, Crescent and de la Montagne were just a short stroll away, while Dunn’s and Ben’s smoked-meat restaurants, the latter as famous for the autographed celebrity photos plastered on its walls as for its Reubens, weren’t much farther — 25 minutes from the Forum by foot, or just two metro stops. Regardless of which direction I headed, though, there was a vibe, a pulse, a buzz that made the whole experience exciting.
Back in Ottawa, circa 1990, after the city had been awarded an NHL franchise and ownership was scouring the city for a suitable arena location, I hoped against hope that the Senators organization would recreate that same atmosphere I’d discovered in Montreal, and build a home around which fans could similarly cobble together their own personalized game days (or nights).
I even had a parcel of land in mind: At the time, the Canadian Tire store downtown at Kent Street and Laurier Avenue was the only building on that entire block, a dandy site, I figured, for an arena in the style of the Forum. Admittedly, there would be parking limitations, but I figured those would be eased by public transit, while other benefits would have included more equitable access from across the city and — similar to Montreal —a liveliness to be discovered just beyond the arena’s walls.
As we know, that didn’t happen. The Sens instead built the Palladium/ Corel Centre/ Scotiabank Place/ Canadian Tire Centre/ Your Name Here Arena at the far end of Kanata, with the pros (a veritable ocean of surface parking situated right beside Hwy. 417) outweighed by the many cons (50 km. from Orléans and nowhere interesting to walk to after games).
Otherwise, attending Sens games is more of an in-and-out experience, contained solely to the arena and not the surrounding area. My chief pre-game activity when attending games at the CTC is guessing what time I have to leave home to get to the rink on time. And post-game, not much beats cleaning the inside of my car while waiting for an opening in a stagnant line of vehicles to back out of my CTC parking spot. I suppose I could one of these days walk over and browse through the inventory at one of the (sort-of) nearby car dealerships, if only that seemed even remotely interesting.
I refuse, however, to join the ranks of fans who leave a game in the middle of the third period to beat the traffic. That’s so Toronto.
Yet hope against hope springs eternal, and Monday’s announcement that the Sens and NCC have reached a deal on an 11-acre parcel of land at LeBreton Flats brings Ottawa hockey fans a little bit closer to having a venue where games are only part of a greater experience.
I get that fans in Kanata may not receive this news with open arms, but little Spartacats elsewhere ought to, especially those living in Orléans, Ottawa South, downtown and Gatineau, as well as those without cars.
Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of driving, you could actually walk to a game? That will surely will become a reality for more people once a downtown arena is in play.
For those unable to do so, the proposed arena will make it easier to get to without a car. It’s to be built smack dab between the Pimisi and Bayview stations on the Confederation LRT line, the latter also the end/start point of the Trillium line south to the airport and beyond. I know, I know… pinning anything on OC Transpo’s reliability is risky, but it’ll be years before chants of “Go, Sens, Go” rise from the Flats. Surely they’ll have LRT figured out by then — or, at the very least, won’t close stations simply because they might get busy.
Meanwhile, a downtown-ish arena will be welcomed by (a) the many tourists who stay downtown and might want to go to a game without Ubering halfway to Toronto and back; and (b) downtown Ottawa itself. To the latter point, while I have little expectation that the culinary offerings next door the the rink will be any more varied than those at Lansdowne, say, LeBreton is surrounded by neighbourhoods with all kinds of retail offerings, culinary and otherwise: Little Italy, Chinatown, Hintonburg, City Centre, Elgin Street and the ByWard Market, each an easy walk or short transit ride away. Developing LeBreton to include an arena and residents will give these businesses a welcome financial shot in the arm.
A move by the Sens to LeBreton Flats will be a game-changer, for the club and its fans, and for the city. And who knows? Maybe it will spark the return of Dunn’s smoked meat delis to Ottawa.
