The Ottawa Charge has officially secured a multi-year agreement to play and practise full-time at the Canadian Tire Centre starting next season, general manager Mike Hirshfeld announced Thursday. The move ends months of speculation and closed-door negotiations between the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the Ottawa Senators.
Exclusive Facilities and Renovations Underway
Hirshfeld confirmed the Charge will have access to exclusive locker rooms, lounge, medical, equipment, and coaching spaces within the venue. Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder stated that work is already underway to retrofit and build these dedicated areas for the women’s team. “One of the key drivers of the agreement was the PWHL really wanted to have a permanent home and campus here in the building,” Leeder said.
Strong Playoff Attendance Paved the Way
The announcement follows a successful postseason run where the Charge played all home games at the Canadian Tire Centre. In four playoff games, the team averaged 13,146 fans per game, including a PWHL single-game playoff attendance record of 16,894 for Game 3 of the PWHL final on May 8. A regular-season game on April 3 also drew more than 17,000 fans, though the Charge lost 3-0 to the Montreal Victoire. “We’re excited to play in this arena and all the benefits that we’ll get from playing in this type of situation,” Hirshfeld said. “We’re also excited to work with the Senators. They’ve been great partners so far.”
Lansdowne Downsizing Prompted Relocation Talks
The Charge had called the 8,500-seat TD Place home for the previous three seasons, but relocation discussions began in October when the City of Ottawa moved forward with plans to downsize the Lansdowne event centre by about 2,000 seats. The new Lansdowne 2.0 venue would hold only 5,850 seats, posing challenges for a team that averaged more than 7,000 fans per regular-season game at TD Place. PWHL executive vice-president of business operations Amy Scheer told the Ottawa Citizen in October that a smaller arena would reduce ticket sales and hinder the team’s growth, threatening the league’s financial viability in Ottawa.
Partnership with Senators Strengthened
Four months ago, the Senators confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen that positive dialogue was underway regarding a lease agreement. The multi-year deal now solidifies the Charge as a tenant at the NHL venue, located 25 kilometres from downtown Ottawa in Kanata. Hirshfeld did not specify the exact length of the agreement but emphasized the alignment with the Senators organization moving forward.
