http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/hoc...tential-move-to-lebreton-flats-a-game-changer
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk says it is too early to discuss details of a possible move to a new arena in the LeBreton Flats.
But he sounds like a man ready to take his best shot.
“This building wasn’t built to last 35, 40 years,†Melnyk said Monday from the Canadian Tire Centre, where he held his annual skate for children.
Despite the money the Senators organization has spent recently to upgrade the current arena, built in 1996, “you have to build a new one eventually, I hope in my lifetime,†Melnyk said.
“It’s where do you put it from here? We’ve had tremendous support (for a LeBreton pitch), but you’re always going to have naysayers.â€
Melnyk noted the Request for Qualification (RFQ) proposal is due on Jan. 7, but that he would likely file it before Christmas, so that staff aren’t working on it over the holidays.
“The project itself is very premature to even talk about it,†Melnyk said. “We haven’t even decided if we should do it.â€
And yet he added he hopes he and his staff come to the “right decision†on a proposal very soon.
“If we’re going to do it, we want to do it right, we want to be organized,†Melnyk said. “We want to make sure this has been very carefully thought through. This impacts the city in a huge way, it impacts the organization in a huge way, we just need to clearly understand what we’re getting ourselves into because it is a long-term project and it’s really a game-changer for us.
“The main thing is we want to do what’sright for the city, for the fans and the organization long term.â€