A day after the Senators unveiled their bid to redevelop Ottawa's LeBreton Flats area, Owner Eugene Melnyk "delivered an olive branch to fans, suggesting they’d see a stronger, more successful club if it moves downtown," according to Bruce Garrioch of the OTTAWA SUN. Melnyk indicated revenue streams from a new arena "could mean adding as much as" US$10M to the payroll. He said, “The total project is going to be a net contributor to the Senators." Melnyk called a new light-rail system “a game-changer” for the project. Melnyk is "proud of what his group presented and is confident they’ll get the nod from the government." He said, “If we get this, which we expect to, this will be the hallmark of something I’ve worked all my life to get done" (OTTAWA SUN, 1/28). In Ottawa, Chianello & Butler report in a "surprise statement" yesterday, one of the two bidders for LeBreton Flats "opened the door" to Melnyk "owning the arena no matter who wins." Devcore Canderel and DLS Group Senior VP Daniel Peritz said, "If we win the bid -- and we firmly believe that the Senators should be downtown -- we're there and we're willing and able to have a variety of discussions." When asked specifically if that included the Senators owning the arena, Peritz answered, "Under the right conditions, everything is on the table." Melnyk, who is part of competing team RendezVous LeBreton, has "insisted he's not interested in selling the team or shifting it downtown unless he owns the arena." Both groups are "proposing to build an NHL-calibre arena on LeBreton Flats." It would be "one of the first things built if RendezVous LeBreton wins the competition, with a projected opening date" of '21 (OTTAWA SUN, 1/28).
TWO FOR ONE: In Ottawa, Don Butler notes details of the two plans "were finally released" Tuesday, but "many hurdles lie ahead before either becomes a reality." Both proposals "include arenas suitable for NHL hockey," and both have "significant high-rise commercial and residential components." But there are also "key differences." RendezVous LeBreton "proposes a double-rink Sensplex and 'Abilities Centre' -- a multi-use sports facility that would meet the needs of persons with disabilities as well as the able-bodied." The DCDLS plan "promises an aquarium, a planetarium and several museums, including Canada’s first multimedia museum, the Canadian Communications Centre, among other attractions" (OTTAWA SUN, 1/27). Butler noted as expected, an arena "is a key element of both proposals, though RendezVous LeBreton prefers to call it a major event centre and the DCDLS Group refers to its arena as the Theatre of Sports and Entertainment." Any future arena will need the Senators "as an anchor tenant." Peritz said of the Senators and downtown, "We believe firmly that’s where they should be" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 1/27).
