The Ottawa Citizen reports today on what the future could hold for the Canadian Tire Centre if the Senators end up moving downtown.
Eugene Melnyk said the Senators have a plan to repurpose the Canadian Tire Centre and build more on the 76 acres he owns around the Kanata arena. Melnyk is still coy about the details, waiting instead to crunch the final numbers before going public, but he envisions an “entertainment-driven” transformation.
“We have the plans all ready. We’re just finishing up the costing of it and I think it’s going to be a spectacular site even post-Sens,” Melnyk told Postmedia’s editorial board Friday.
Melnyk said he hopes to make the plan public within the next 30 days.
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The CTC won’t remain as a hockey arena if the Senators win the development rights at LeBreton, Leeder said.
“The market isn’t big enough to support two full-scale arenas long-term,” Leeder said, emphasizing the importance of having “one really strong one.”
Slot machines and table games aren’t in the cards, either. The club was hot after a casino in 2013 until city council decided all gaming should be kept at the Rideau Carleton Raceway.
Leeder said the club could consider converting the CTC into a smaller venue and hosting other ice sports, like curling.