NHL Commission Gary Bettman says “everybody needs be on board” with the idea of building a new home for the Ottawa Senators at LeBreton Flats, but it will take “one step at a time” to move forward with the plan.
Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly visited Ottawa on Tuesday, two months after the Senators and the National Capital Commission announced an agreement in principle to build a new arena on the land west of downtown Ottawa.
Bettman and Daly were joined by Senators owner Michael Andlauer for meetings with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and the National Capital Commission and took a tour of the proposed land at LeBreton Flats.
“I think everybody has to be on board in terms of the impact it’s going to have,” Bettman told CTV News at Six anchor Patricia Boal during an interview at Canadian Tire Centre.
“Putting aside the economics of the deal, obviously, that’s got to make Michael comfortable and it works, but whether it’s the business community, fans, civic leaders – everybody needs to be on board because a project of this magnitude with this impact doesn’t get done, for example, without the mayor or even the province being fully supportive.”
Bettman says he believes Sutcliffe thinks a downtown arena is a “great opportunity to create an economic boon” for the area.
“A building downtown will have more events than out here, will enable more people to be in the building, to go to restaurants…it’s good for everyone,” Bettman said.
When asked if taxpayer or municipal funding will be needed to help build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats, Bettman urged everyone to take a “deep breath.”
“Some places, if you look at Edmonton and Calgary, yes; if you look at other places, no – I think it depends on the circumstances. Nobody should jump to any conclusions as to what it will or won’t include, we’re a long way from that,” Bettman told reporters before the Senators-Edmonton Oilers game.
“We’re at letter of intent and will take it from there. Nobody, including Michael Andlauer, said these are the things you have to do. This has to be a collaborative effort to get it done.”
Michael Andlauer addressed the media on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Katelyn Wilson/CTV News).
Bettman says everyone has indicated it would be “great to have an arena downtown,” and the mayor supports the idea of an arena to help revitalize the downtown core.
“It’s one step at a time. This isn’t a 60-minute game, this isn’t going to happen overnight – it’s going to take a bit of time,” Bettman said. “In the interim, and if it doesn’t work out, there’s this building (Canadian Tire Centre). It may not be everybody’s first choice in terms of location, but it works.”
Sutcliffe told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll, it’s very early in the process to discuss possible involvement by the city for a new arena.
“It’s not at a stage where we’re talking about in serious detail about what it would look like,” Sutcliffe said Tuesday morning. “The Senators haven’t put together a plan yet and they haven’t figured out how they’re going to fund the new arena, so there’s still a lot of details that need to be worked out.”
Sutcliffe said there are still “many hurdles to cross before somebody sticks a shovel in the ground at LeBreton Flats.”
“The big one, of course, is the Senators need to figure out is how they’re going to pay for the arena,” Sutcliffe said.