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Senators owner Eugene Melnyk seems to have surprised the city’s elected politicians as much as hockey fans with his controversial musings over the possibility of moving the hockey team.
In a wide-ranging media scrum Friday night as the Senators alumni game was being played, Melnyk brought up the possibility of relocating the team if its attendance woes continue, and said the new LeBreton Flats arena might not happen.
He denied growing rumours that the team was for sale, but hinted relocation was a possibility.
“If it doesn’t look good here, it could look very, very nice somewhere else, but I’m not suggesting that right now.”
As for the new arena in the LeBreton redevelopment, Melnyk said: “I’m all in, but it wouldn’t be a disaster for us at all if LeBreton didn’t happen.” He said the Canadian Tire Centre could be brought up to current standards with an investment of $25 million to $35 million.
The remarks left city councillors a little baffled.
“Mr. Melnyk has a business to run and he has to calculate what works for him,” said Deputy Mayor Bob Monette.
But Monette said he was not aware of any “unusual” problems in either the Senators’ well-documented attendance woes, or any difficulties in ongoing negotiations for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats and the proposed arena that is meant to be the centrepiece.
The veteran east end councillor said that Mayor Jim Watson and city manager Steve Kanellakos took over the dossier for negotiations with the National Capital Commission, owners of the land, the Senators and other stakeholders “two council meetings ago.”
“We’ve had no indication that any major problems had come up.”
Monette, a well-known sports fan, said that he agreed with some problems that Melnyk mentioned, particularly the difficulty of getting to and leaving the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata.
“It’s not a new problem but it’s a definite problem,” said Monette, echoing Melnyk’s complaint that leaving the CTC after a game can become a “a long nightmare for fans.”
However, Monette, who represents the Orléans ward, disagreed with Melnyk’s assessment that the team might lose fans at a downtown arena because the “Kanata folks” wouldn’t travel to the new venue.
“Ottawa has great hockey fans and I’m sure the Kanata folks would come down. But the downtown site opens things up even more to the whole east end audience (particularly) when the LRT is completed.”
Melnyk’s comments also puzzled Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who said the city was primarily interested in “helping the Senators succeed.”
“(The Senators) are a private business and must make decisions on that basis,” said Fleury.
He noted the negotiations on the redevelopment of Le Breton, “especially the decontamination of the soil,” will ultimately be to the benefit to the hockey team and other participants, as will the completed LRT line.
“We’re not here to put up barriers … there’s a (negotiation) process to follow” which the private sector participants are well aware of, Fleury said.
The councillor said he had heard of no stumbling blocks in the LeBreton talks.
Fleury said he had no doubt about the engagement of Ottawa hockey fans.
“We’ve had quite a few controversial owners in Ottawa, but the constant has been that the fans have always shown great support,” Fleury said.
“That’s undeniable.”
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In a wide-ranging media scrum Friday night as the Senators alumni game was being played, Melnyk brought up the possibility of relocating the team if its attendance woes continue, and said the new LeBreton Flats arena might not happen.
He denied growing rumours that the team was for sale, but hinted relocation was a possibility.
“If it doesn’t look good here, it could look very, very nice somewhere else, but I’m not suggesting that right now.”
As for the new arena in the LeBreton redevelopment, Melnyk said: “I’m all in, but it wouldn’t be a disaster for us at all if LeBreton didn’t happen.” He said the Canadian Tire Centre could be brought up to current standards with an investment of $25 million to $35 million.
The remarks left city councillors a little baffled.
“Mr. Melnyk has a business to run and he has to calculate what works for him,” said Deputy Mayor Bob Monette.
But Monette said he was not aware of any “unusual” problems in either the Senators’ well-documented attendance woes, or any difficulties in ongoing negotiations for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats and the proposed arena that is meant to be the centrepiece.
The veteran east end councillor said that Mayor Jim Watson and city manager Steve Kanellakos took over the dossier for negotiations with the National Capital Commission, owners of the land, the Senators and other stakeholders “two council meetings ago.”
“We’ve had no indication that any major problems had come up.”
Monette, a well-known sports fan, said that he agreed with some problems that Melnyk mentioned, particularly the difficulty of getting to and leaving the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata.
“It’s not a new problem but it’s a definite problem,” said Monette, echoing Melnyk’s complaint that leaving the CTC after a game can become a “a long nightmare for fans.”
However, Monette, who represents the Orléans ward, disagreed with Melnyk’s assessment that the team might lose fans at a downtown arena because the “Kanata folks” wouldn’t travel to the new venue.
“Ottawa has great hockey fans and I’m sure the Kanata folks would come down. But the downtown site opens things up even more to the whole east end audience (particularly) when the LRT is completed.”
Melnyk’s comments also puzzled Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who said the city was primarily interested in “helping the Senators succeed.”
“(The Senators) are a private business and must make decisions on that basis,” said Fleury.
He noted the negotiations on the redevelopment of Le Breton, “especially the decontamination of the soil,” will ultimately be to the benefit to the hockey team and other participants, as will the completed LRT line.
“We’re not here to put up barriers … there’s a (negotiation) process to follow” which the private sector participants are well aware of, Fleury said.
The councillor said he had heard of no stumbling blocks in the LeBreton talks.
Fleury said he had no doubt about the engagement of Ottawa hockey fans.
“We’ve had quite a few controversial owners in Ottawa, but the constant has been that the fans have always shown great support,” Fleury said.
“That’s undeniable.”
查看原文...
