The clock is ticking on a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats. Speaking at the Ottawa Senators first annual spring summit with more than 1,500 season-ticket holders Wednesday night, club president Cyril Leeder told the crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre that the clock is now ticking to get a deal in place with the National Capital Commission. Senators owner Michael Andlauer and his partners have been given an extension on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) until Sept.
20 by NCC chief executive officer Tobi Nussbaum to get a lease agreement in place. Andlauer is bullish on being downtown because he’d also like to be closer to Gatineau. Leeder told the fans Wednesday night the Senators will play a Black-and-White intra-squad game in Gatineau during training camp.
“It’s a complicated and very complex project that’s going to take some time,” Leeder said. “I’d say not to expect a weekly or even monthly update because it’s going to be a bit of lumpy process. “We do have an MOU with the NCC on a small parcel of land at LeBreton Flats.
Sept. 20 is an important date because that’s the date when we need to get a certificate of agreement with the NCC or that deal expires. We’re working diligently and hard and trying to do everything we can to try to to get to that agreement.
“Again, I can’t tell you when we’ll be moving downtown, I can just tell you that we’re working very hard.” Speaking to Postmedia afterwards, Leeder noted he’s “optimistic” that the.