Hunt interested in taking it outside
The Ottawa 67’s, the Carleton Ravens and the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees could be headed outdoors for a hockey doubleheader as soon as 2014.
Jeff Hunt, 67’s owner, said he thinks his Ontario Hockey League team could play host to an outdoor classic at a refurbished Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park that would take place during Winterlude, and would also involve a game between crosstown rivals Carleton and the U of O.
Whether it all happens, of course, depends on the redevelopment of Lansdowne.
“It’s something I definitely have an interest in doing,” Hunt said in an interview. “But we are talking pretty far down the road here.”
Hunt is part of a group of five Ottawa businessmen who are awaiting final approval from city council of their public-private proposal to revamp Lansdowne Park, including Frank Clair Stadium, with stores and park space. The go-ahead would also clear the way for a new Canadian Football League franchise for the city.
While everyone waits, the athletic directors at both Carleton and the U of O have expressed interest in playing an outdoor hockey game they believe would intensify the rivalry between the city’s two big schools.
“If we can build this rivalry with the University of Ottawa, we can eventually have it outside as a bigger game,” said Carleton’s Jennifer Brenning. “It’s what we see in the future, for sure.”
The 67’s, on the other hand, are already among the top Canadian Hockey League teams in attendance, attracting close to 8,000 fans a game this season. But there’s still a lot to be gained from holding an outdoor classic.
“You’re definitely trying to do everything you can these days to win over new fans and remind people that you’re out there,” said junior hockey analyst Neate Sager. “Anything you can do that is a little bit different from the norm is something that you should be considering.”
The 67’s wouldn’t be the first CHL team to venture outdoors. Last month, the Spokane Chiefs played host to the Western Hockey League’s first outdoor game in front of a sellout crowd of 7, 075 at Avista Stadium, home of Single-A baseball’s Spokane Indians.
The Chiefs are averaging less than 6,000 in attendance this season where they usually play, the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, which holds 10,759. The month before, the University of Michigan played host to Michigan State University in an outdoor game at Michigan Stadium, setting a world hockey record with an official attendance of 104,173.
While an outdoor game at Lansdowne would likely accommodate about 20,000 fans, this type of event would be a golden opportunity for everyone involved to gain exposure, something Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) hockey desperately needs.
“The CIS is a vastly underrated league and pretty much anyone who knows the game will tell you that CIS hockey is probably better than the CHL,” said Sager. “The players are older, they read the ice a lot better and they have a more compact schedule, which means you don’t see teams that are tired or having to pace themselves to get through a long season.”
Although it’s a long way off and not a certainty, some fans and players are already excited about the idea of taking hockey outside.
“It would be great. We would have all the students coming out … the city would come to a standstill,” said Kartikay Singh, a Ravens fan.
“We’ve actually joked about it,” said Ravens goaltender Ryan Dube. “We’ve talked about skating down the canal and leaving from our school and they leave from their school, and we just meet in the middle.”
Ravens head coach Marty Johnston also said he would be in favour of playing outdoors, if the ice can be kept in good condition.
“I think anything we can do to build the rivalry would be great. But obviously…..
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