GARRIOCH: The Ottawa Senators will open the season with the Battle of Ontario at the Canadian Tire Centre | Saltwire – SaltWire Network
Nothing like a Battle of Ontario to welcome fans back to the Canadian Tire Centre for the first time in 19 months.
The NHL released the 2021-22 schedule Thursday night for all 32 teams and the Ottawa Senators will face a big test as they return to the Atlantic Division.
The Senators will open the season against the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 14 at the Canadian Tire Centre and then the two teams will face off again Saturday, Oct. 16 at Scotiabank Arena on Hockey Night in Canada.
The Battle of Ontario is the perfect way to start the year because both fan bases love to get riled up and ready.
Senators’ owner Eugene Melnyk reached out to the league when it was working on the schedule to let them know it’d be great to the Leafs on hand.
“The NHL heard us loud and clear and the word came from directly from Eugene that we wanted to come out with a bang,” Anthony LeBlanc, the club’s director of business operations, told this newspaper Thursday night. “What better way is there to come out with Toronto on Opening Night.
“And, with everything I’ve heard from the province, it’s going to be a full building. By October, with all the metrics we’ve seen, we’ll be able to have full capacity in the Canadian Tire Centre.”
Since the Senators, and the rest of the teams in Canada, played the shortened 56-game regular season in empty arenas by the time the first patron is allowed to enter the rink it will have been 589 days since the Senators had a spectators in Kanata.
The last time the Senators played at home before the league went on pause for the novel coronavirus was on March 5, 2020 with a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders.
LeBlanc is right because by October the restrictions should have been completely lifted. He added he’s heard nothing from the province about anybody having to produce a vaccine passport to enter the rink. Proper safety measures are being put in place with a cashless operation and tickets will be issued for smartphones.
Those with cash will be able to turn it in for an ATM card on-site. The same setup will be used for the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville at CAA Arena. LeBlanc said it’s time to get back to business after a difficult 15 months at 18,1530-seat building.
“The New York border is 60 miles away and you cross that border in the world is normal. We’re expecting the same here in Ontario,” said LeBlanc. “We’re back and it’s going to be exciting. Let’s get back to business, it’s been way too long.”
The release of the schedule has been long awaited and is a signal teams in Canada can get back to work. Yes, the NHL managed to pull off last season in empty buildings but it came at a huge cost.
Work can now begin in earnest on sponsorships and season ticket sales.
“Based on there not being a spike, and not being a new variant, and this is going to be our new normal, I do feel very confident based upon from what I’ve heard from the government of Ontario that we should be in a position in October to sell every seat in our buidling,” said LeBlanc. “We need people to continue getting vaccinated across the province.
“The biggest concern I have is everything is based on everybody across the province which stretches from Kenora to Ottawa.”
LeBlanc said the club is doing a lot of hiring after employees returned to the building this week so they can ramp up sales.
“It’s back to normal. It’s rocking and rolling. We’re selling season tickets, we’re finalizing sponsorships, we’re renewing some big, considerable long-term sponsorships. We’re working and we’re selling and it’s so far, so good, he said. “We’ve only got a couple of months before that opening night but we’re happy to be back and actually have something to looking forward to which is fans in the building Opening Night.
“Fans are everything. We’re just excited. I’ve recruited a lot of people into the business side of the operation and it feels like the business season has just started.”
This schedule does include a three week break for the Olympics from Feb. 2nd to Feb. 26th as long as a deal between the league and International Olympic Committee is reached to allow the players to head to Beijing.
If there’s no deal in place then the league will amend the schedule. At this point, the Senators are scheduled to close out the year on Apr. 29 against the Philadelphia Flyers on the road. The final home game will be Apr. 28 against the Florida Panthers.
The club’s longest road trip of the season will be in January and will kick off in Seattle against the expansion Kraken. That game will take place Jan. 6. The Senators will then make stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg before wrapping up the trip on Jan. 15.
THE SENATORS 2021022 SCHEDULE
Oct. 14: TORONTO
Oct. 16: at Toronto
Oct. 17: DALLAS
Oct. 21: SAN JOSE
Oct. 23: RANGERS
Oct. 25: WASHINGTON
Oct. 29: at Dallas
Nov. 1: at Chicago
Nov. 2: at Minnesota
Nov. 4: VEGAS
Nov. 6: TAMPA BAY
Nov. 9: at Boston
Nov. 11: LOS ANGELES
Nov. 13: PITTSBURGH
Nov. 14: CALGARY
Nov. 16: at New Jersey
Nov. 18: NASHVILLE
Nov. 20: RANGERS
Nov. 22: at Colorado
Nov. 24: at San Jose
Nov. 26: at Anaheim
Nov. 27: at Los Angeles
Dec. 1: VANCOUVER
Dec. 2: at Carolina
Dec. 4: COLORAOD
Dec. 7: ISLANDERS
Dec. 11: TAMPA
Dec. 14: at Florida
Dec. 16: at Tampa
Dec. 18: at Philadelphia
Dec. 19: BOSTON
Dec. 21: ST. LOUS
Dec. 23: CAROLINA
Dec. 27: at Washington
Dec. 29: BOSTON
Dec. 31: PITTSBURGH
Jan. 1: at Toronto
Jan. 3: MINNESOTA
Jan 6: at Seattle
Jan. 8: at Vancouver
Jan. 10: at Edmonton
Jan. 13: at Calgary
Jan. 15: at Winnipeg
Jan. 18: BUFFALO
Jan. 20: at Pittsburgh
Jan. 22: at Washington
Jan. 23: at Columbus
Jan. 25: BUFFALO
Jan. 27: CAROLINA
Jan. 29; ANAHEIM
Jan. 31: EDMONTON
Feb. 1: at Islanders
Feb. 26: MONTREAL
March 1: at Tampa
March 3: at Florida
March 5: at Arizona
March 6: at Vegas
March 8: at St. Louis
March 10: SEATTLE
March 12: CHICAGO
March 14: ARIZONA
March 16: COLUMBUS
March 18: PHILADELPHIA
March 19: at Montreal
March 24: at Islanders
March 26: FLORIDA
March 29: at Nashville
Apr. 1: at Detroit
Apr. 3: DETROIT
Apr. 5: at Montreal
Apr. 7: NEW JERSEY
Apr. 9: at Rangers
Apr. 10: WINNIPEG
Apr. 12: at Detroit
Apr. 14: at Boston
Apr. 16: TORONTO
Apr. 20: at Buffalo
Apr. 22: at Columbus
Apr. 23: MONTREAL
Apr. 26: NEW JERSEY
Apr. 28: FLORIDA
Apr. 29: at Philadelphia
- home games in CAPS
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