News Article: Lebreton

[darude]

Looking at how the Alexandra bridge replacement consultation has been handled, I have to wonder what is going on in their committees that doesn't just have people vote for a favoured design.

But it speaks to what Andlauer's team must be dealing with.

 

[Stylizer1]

Looking at how the Alexandra bridge replacement consultation has been handled, I have to wonder what is going on in their committees that doesn't just have people vote for a favoured design.

But it speaks to what Andlauer's team must be dealing with.

They are the landlords of the city and control too much. There is no better example of why they should be dissolved with what is happening with Lebreton. Nussbaum's tenure should be coming to an end very shortly and maybe that of the NCC.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I hate to say it, but I can definately see this as a ploy to put pressure on the NCC.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

I hate to say it, but I can definately see this as a ploy to put pressure on the NCC.

That is exactly what this is. He is threatening the distant possibility that he could move his grocery store to Quebec.

That's the only way Quebec gets a team. While it's very unlikely, what do you think happens if we hit 2030 and there is no avenue for a new arena in Ottawa. They didn't want to relocate Arizona, but with no arena, that's what happens.

 

[thinkwild]

I hate to say it, but I can definately see this as a ploy to put pressure on the NCC.

Yeah im not quite seeing the connection there. Also a strange thing for Booboo to say: no govt funding involved. For what?

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

Yeah im not quite seeing the connection there. Also a strange thing for Booboo to say: no govt funding involved. For what?

We need Crossride here, since he is our boots on the ground for all the French reporting.

It's an open secret that the only way Quebec will get a team is if they are a landing spot for Ottawa.

This is Andlauer telling the NCC and other stakeholders that he has options, and if they screw this up they potentially could cost Ottawa their team and anchor tenant for Lebreton.

Ottawa is not relocating tomorrow because the Kanata arena is still adequate. But once the NCC thing falls through and there is an election, they're pushing the entire process back by a few years. People shouldn't take the team in Ottawa for granted because while the NHL will only relocate as a last resort, that doesn't mean it's impossible, and les requins sense blood in the water.

A very important factor that you have to consider is that due to a deal that Bruce Firestone made, Ottawa has the rights to show games in the Canadiens regional territory (and vice versa). So this makes relocation to Quebec fairly seamless because there would be no dispute over any of the television territory.

You can pitch other spots where they could build in Ottawa if Lebreton falls through, but the reality is that involves significant negotiation with multiple levels of government and starting back at square one for what could be another 5-15 year process. What year did the Lebreton negotiations start in? If this doesn't get done before the Federal election, you're probably looking at a decade so far before a deal is even made.

I do not think they will relocate, but I also think people are far too blasé about the possibility. This is the type of thing where Sens fans should threaten to boycott corporate sponsors over the partnership with Quebec City. You're basically letting your wife go on a date with another man and saying "I'll see you in the morning", then being surprised when it leads to a divorce.

There isn't really any way to protest the NCC because it would probably just encourage them even more and they would decide that Michael Andlauer needs to commission a seven year study on which rare birds might be located near the area before he can build on the land, but they also need to hold six months of meetings to hammer out the legal criteria for what defines a bird as rare.

I'm not saying they are going to relocate, but as fans this should be taken very seriously because unlike Melnyk, Andlauer may be competent enough to relocate the team to his benefit.

 

[thinkwild]

I guess. Im not buying it though. I dont see the value in such a power play. I think its genuinely trying to capture more of Quebecs market for Ottawa.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

>

Disclaimer in case Ian Mendes reads this: This is very obviously fan fiction. It is not "insider" reporting. It is not fact.

The team is being stolen right under our nose, and nobody realizes it.

If the NCC deal isn't done before the election, Andlauer will make a play for Quebecor to buy the Senators. Either in full, or in part. Andlauer has been screwed left, right, and center in the short time he owned the team. The Canadian dollar is now reaching enormous lows, while the NHL salary cap reaches tremendous highs. So the reality of operating the team is completely different than it looked even two years ago. Andlauer and his group didn't expect a Canadian dollar this low, and they didn't expect the arena to take this long (not to) materialize. The economics of operating the team look completely different than they did a few years ago when they are going to have to brave it out in Kanata for another decade, pour money into prolonging the arena, and loose money in a market where the suburban arena forces them to sell tickets for some of the lowest prices in the entire league. The league knows that there are no more owners to fall back on. Look at how the sale process went. NIKO SPARKS IS NOT PICKING UP THE PHONE GUYS.

Why does TVA laying off employees link to the willingness of their parent company to buy the Senators? They need an anchor product for their regional TV networks. Bell paid 5 billion dollars for the previous TV rights deal, and the price is only going to go up. It's cheaper to buy the Senators as an asset and own the property whose French TV rights they will purchase as an anchor tenant for their networks than it is to pay for the TV rights from a team owned by someone else. The team is worth LESS than the value of the TV deal over a long enough period of time. They can license off the English rights to Amazon and try to have their cake and eat it too by soft-marketing to the Ottawa area and hoping that they convert to being Nordiques fans and still tune in due to the regional proximity, hatred of Leafs/Canadiens, and familiarity with the team. Lastly, due to a deal that Bruce Firestone made with the Canadiens, this franchise has the right to broadcast in the Canadiens territory, so from that perspective a sale to Quebec for TV rights purposes would be seamless once the current deal expires at the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Most of all, the league is trying to sell expansion teams. They don't want Andlauer coming out and making it look like they are bad business partners, or that he got screwed. Whatever the name of the guy who owns Quebecor is, paying a prorated 1.XX billion for a majority share of the team to buy out the local Ottawa owners and take whatever portion Andlauer wants to give up looks a lot better than Andlauer coming out, hat in hand, and crying about how the league didn't help him get an arena, and he knew he should have let Niko Sparks have it, plus Dadonov stole his first round pick.

So the league won't oppose the relocation, because they can read the writing on the wall as far as the realities of operating in Ottawa go, and if there was a competent management group at the helm of the NHL back in the 1990s, they never would have sold an expansion franchise to a group whose entire business plan centered around "we bought some farmland and maybe it will be worth enough to pay you if the Ontario government approves our plan to build Bluthton on the land". Ottawa looks a lot less attractive if there is no downtown arena. The downtown arena was the carrot at the end of the road for any group buying the team, and the falling Canadian dollar+Rising cap will be what makes relocation and adding a multi-billion dollar partner look very good compared to staying in Kanata and relying on 2-for-1 boxing day sales to move tickets until some level of government approves an arena in a new relocation 5+ years later than expected.

Disclaimer: The above is all baseless speculation. I have had two Monster Energy drinks (luckily sugar free) which I absolutely should not have done. Consider this fan fiction. I obviously have no material connections to any of this. It's like reading the plot of Metal Gear Solid on wikipedia. Even if I didn't preface anything with "I THINK ANDLAUER IS GOING TO STAB US IN THE BACK BECAUSE OF THE NCC AND ITS ONLY MY OPINION NOT FACT", the above is very obviously not fact.

I may wake up in the morning and feel foolish about this fan fiction, but I seriously think we should boycott Farm Boy and Mattamy Homes over this.

 

[PlayersLtd]

We need Crossride here, since he is our boots on the ground for all the French reporting.

It's an open secret that the only way Quebec will get a team is if they are a landing spot for Ottawa.

This is Andlauer telling the NCC and other stakeholders that he has options, and if they screw this up they potentially could cost Ottawa their team and anchor tenant for Lebreton.

Ottawa is not relocating tomorrow because the Kanata arena is still adequate. But once the NCC thing falls through and there is an election, they're pushing the entire process back by a few years. People shouldn't take the team in Ottawa for granted because while the NHL will only relocate as a last resort, that doesn't mean it's impossible, and les requins sense blood in the water.

A very important factor that you have to consider is that due to a deal that Bruce Firestone made, Ottawa has the rights to show games in the Canadiens regional territory (and vice versa). So this makes relocation to Quebec fairly seamless because there would be no dispute over any of the television territory.

You can pitch other spots where they could build in Ottawa if Lebreton falls through, but the reality is that involves significant negotiation with multiple levels of government and starting back at square one for what could be another 5-15 year process. What year did the Lebreton negotiations start in? If this doesn't get done before the Federal election, you're probably looking at a decade so far before a deal is even made.

I do not think they will relocate, but I also think people are far too blasé about the possibility. This is the type of thing where Sens fans should threaten to boycott corporate sponsors over the partnership with Quebec City. You're basically letting your wife go on a date with another man and saying "I'll see you in the morning", then being surprised when it leads to a divorce.

There isn't really any way to protest the NCC because it would probably just encourage them even more and they would decide that Michael Andlauer needs to commission a seven year study on which rare birds might be located near the area before he can build on the land, but they also need to hold six months of meetings to hammer out the legal criteria for what defines a bird as rare.

I'm not saying they are going to relocate, but as fans this should be taken very seriously because unlike Melnyk, Andlauer may be competent enough to relocate the team to his benefit.

It isn't that at all, there is nothing to read into. It's Andlauer booking a venue he knows he can sell out and make good money from while expanding his presence amongst Francophones which is a stated goal and something we should get used to in preseason.

If he's sending a signal to the NCC it would be by meeting with the City. Way easier, way more realistic and no ambiguity.

Besides, the Sens moving to Quebec is not up to Andlauer. The league would force him to sell to another group in Ottawa before that happens. The mere suggestion of moving would put him in terrible standing with the BOG and they'd punt him for it, not give him a get out of jail free card.

Lastly, if it can't work in Ottawa, there's zero chance they would allow it to also not work in Quebec. With what is happening in Winnipeg, if the same happened here you could pretty much flush any other Canadian expansion market's dreams down the toilet.

The only hidden agenda you could read into is that Andlauer is doing Quebec City a solid by giving them a chance to show the NHL that they can sell out an arena and thus deserve a shot. Ottawa would benefit greatly from an expansion franchise in Quebec so Andlauer might as well do his part to the small extent that he can.

Nothing to see here except the fact that an exhibition game between Ottawa and Montreal in Quebec City is pretty sweet.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

It isn't that at all, there is nothing to read into. It's Andlauer booking a venue he knows he can sell out and make good money from while expanding his presence amongst Francophones which is a stated goal and something we should get used to in preseason.

If he's sending a signal to the NCC it would be by meeting with the City. Way easier, way more realistic and no ambiguity.

Besides, the Sens moving to Quebec is not up to Andlauer. The league would force him to sell to another group in Ottawa before that happens. The mere suggestion of moving would put him in terrible standing with the BOG and they'd punt him for it, not give him a get out of jail free card.

Lastly, if it can't work in Ottawa, there's zero chance they would allow it to also not work in Quebec. With what is happening in Winnipeg, if the same happened here you could pretty much flush any other Canadian expansion market's dreams down the toilet.

The only hidden agenda you could read into is that Andlauer is doing Quebec City a solid by giving them a chance to show the NHL that they can sell out an arena and thus deserve a shot. Ottawa would benefit greatly from an expansion franchise in Quebec so Andlauer might as well do his part to the small extent that he can.

Nothing to see here except the fact that an exhibition game between Ottawa and Montreal in Quebec City is pretty sweet.

Michael?

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

It isn't that at all, there is nothing to read into. It's Andlauer booking a venue he knows he can sell out and make good money from while expanding his presence amongst Francophones which is a stated goal and something we should get used to in preseason.

If he's sending a signal to the NCC it would be by meeting with the City. Way easier, way more realistic and no ambiguity.

Besides, the Sens moving to Quebec is not up to Andlauer. The league would force him to sell to another group in Ottawa before that happens. The mere suggestion of moving would put him in terrible standing with the BOG and they'd punt him for it, not give him a get out of jail free card.

Lastly, if it can't work in Ottawa, there's zero chance they would allow it to also not work in Quebec. With what is happening in Winnipeg, if the same happened here you could pretty much flush any other Canadian expansion market's dreams down the toilet.

The only hidden agenda you could read into is that Andlauer is doing Quebec City a solid by giving them a chance to show the NHL that they can sell out an arena and thus deserve a shot. Ottawa would benefit greatly from an expansion franchise in Quebec so Andlauer might as well do his part to the small extent that he can.

Nothing to see here except the fact that an exhibition game between Ottawa and Montreal in Quebec City is pretty sweet.

Go back and look at the Senators sale process. Look at the final groups involved. In a scenario where the prospect of a downtown arena is pushed back years (and I mean the prospect, not a guarantee), and the current group wants to cut bait on the franchise, it seems very unlikely that there is a group that both wants to keep it in Ottawa and is capable of paying the amount the league needs to continue to push the value of franchises forward when a downtown arena should reasonably no longer be considered a likely part of the deal post Government change.

Quebec works because without a downtown arena, Ottawa isn't a desirable location for the league. It's a lateral move, and if they can extort Quebecor into paying a high enough amount for a majority share in the franchise, it helps the league by boosting the perception that franchise perpetually increase in value.

The reality of the situation is that if the NCC thing falls through, Ottawa has no arena beyond the lifespan of the CTC, and based on how the previous sales of the team worked out, they may not have an ownership group who wants to pay what the NHL would need the franchise to be sold at to maintain franchise values.

There is also a perception thing with relocating a Canadian team out of Canada, and they may have a motivated ownership group and landing spot in Quebec.

The dollar is lower than expected. The cap is higher than expected. This team very much relies on direct-to-consumer money more than any other team in the league. So you combine that with staying out in Kanata and pouring money to extend the lifespan of that arena, while multiple levels of government continue to bungle negotiations.

If this is a soft-threat, the point is to say that if you guys don't get your shit together before the election kiboshes this, you could lose your anchor tenant. Good luck with building a world class arena with whatever our basketball team is that plays in front of 1000 people as the anchor tenant.

Again, I'm just riffing. This should all be considered akin to fan fiction. But it comes back to the fact that I think this should not be something that flies under the radar. Fans and people in the city should boycott major corporate partners of the team until Andlauer ends any partnership with Quebec City. People are way too comfortable with the idea that the Senators are going to be here forever when it's a miracle that this city has a team in the first place.

 

[ottawagm]

How long before we play some regular season games in QC? Will they take some of the lower drawing games and play them in QC for additional revenue.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Go back and look at the Senators sale process. Look at the final groups involved. In a scenario where the prospect of a downtown arena is pushed back years (and I mean the prospect, not a guarantee), and the current group wants to cut bait on the franchise, it seems very unlikely that there is a group that both wants to keep it in Ottawa and is capable of paying the amount the league needs to continue to push the value of franchises forward when a downtown arena should reasonably no longer be considered a likely part of the deal post Government change.

Quebec works because without a downtown arena, Ottawa isn't a desirable location for the league. It's a lateral move, and if they can extort Quebecor into paying a high enough amount for a majority share in the franchise, it helps the league by boosting the perception that franchise perpetually increase in value.

The reality of the situation is that if the NCC thing falls through, Ottawa has no arena beyond the lifespan of the CTC, and based on how the previous sales of the team worked out, they may not have an ownership group who wants to pay what the NHL would need the franchise to be sold at to maintain franchise values.

There is also a perception thing with relocating a Canadian team out of Canada, and they may have a motivated ownership group and landing spot in Quebec.

The dollar is lower than expected. The cap is higher than expected. This team very much relies on direct-to-consumer money more than any other team in the league. So you combine that with staying out in Kanata and pouring money to extend the lifespan of that arena, while multiple levels of government continue to bungle negotiations.

If this is a soft-threat, the point is to say that if you guys don't get your shit together before the election kiboshes this, you could lose your anchor tenant. Good luck with building a world class arena with whatever our basketball team is that plays in front of 1000 people as the anchor tenant.

Again, I'm just riffing. This should all be considered akin to fan fiction. But it comes back to the fact that I think this should not be something that flies under the radar. Fans and people in the city should boycott major corporate partners of the team until Andlauer ends any partnership with Quebec City. People are way too comfortable with the idea that the Senators are going to be here forever when it's a miracle that this city has a team in the first place.

Why the Michael thing, just have a normal conversation.

You've got a doomsday scenario that is running a bit wild in your head and it seems to be based on one quite unreasonable premise that they will somehow find themselves without an arena to play in. Arenas get built. You don't need to stress too much about that part unless you have a few examples of established teams that average about 95% capacity yet still can't get one built..? But it takes time and everyone involved sweats it out in the process, fans especially. We are literally at stage 2 of the 10 stages of frustration so I would ration the armageddon theories a bit if I were you.

What makes the sens unique is that we have two entities with skin in the game that we can work with. The NCC and the City of Ottawa. If it doesn't work with the NCC, we pivot to the City. And while you will go and panic about this, I will be celebrating because it means we will actually start moving forward. The road with the City, although unlikely to be perfectly smooth, will be a much better fit and I for one can't wait until we exit the NCC lane and merge onto the City one.

And also the election has nothing to do with this. It has no bearing on the NCC's mandate for Lebreton. In fact, the NCC's mandate as a whole is consistent with building a marque attraction such as an arena and one could argue the incoming conservative government (and their appointees) will be much better suited to stick handle this. For the purposes of an arena at Lebreton the election can't come soon enough if you ask me. Municipal election is a different story and that's why I explained yesterday why Andlauer should be setting his own deadline with the NCC.

And if you think someone like MA bought the team only to have his mind wander about how to move 1.5 years later you're pretty far gone. That's not exactly how self made billionaires operate. He's determined and focused. And again, the BOG won't let him. If you haven't noticed, the NHL isn't very big on playing musical chairs.

There isn't a team in QC because Bettman and the BOG don't think it's viable. And as the cap goes up and you start seeing small market teams setting internal ceilings, that fact will be more and more true. That's saying nothing about the WPG lesson the league is learning right now.

 

[mysens]

The conversations I have had with the partners in the past would lead me to whole heartedly believe that if the NCC drama continues, they have two other sites on their radar. They have said they would rather not have to deal with the NCC in any way but will see this to the end. If it does not happen, they have some juicy new sites within the city core.