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Ottawa Senators To Host 2017 Heritage Classic?

By Rob Eamer

Jan 1, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; A general view of Gillette Stadium during the National Anthem before the Winter Classic hockey game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; A general view of Gillette Stadium during the National Anthem before the Winter Classic hockey game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Ottawa Senators are being considered to host 2017 Heritage Classic.

2017 will be a big year for the National Hockey League and Canada alike as it will be Canada’s 150th birthday and the NHL’s 100th birthday. This would be the perfect time for Canada’s capital to host an outdoor hockey game and according to several sources, the plans are already in the works.

The locations confirmed to be considered are Parliament Hill and TD Place.

Parliament Hill would be a fantastic location because it is an important landmark for Canadians and would be most fitting for Canada’s centennial celebrations. However, it also poses many potential issues ranging from space and cost to security.

According to The Score, Gary Bettman commented on it at the annual Stanley Cup Final press conference “It’s complicated. We’d have to know more. It’s complicated and expensive”.

The NHL’s Deputy commissioner Bill Daly also stated “There are number of possibilities in Ottawa, If it doesn’t happen on Parliament Hill it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re not doing an outdoor game in Ottawa, right? As I said, there are other possibilities.”

TD Place was the second location mentioned and would be more feasible than Parliament Hill. TD Place is a 24,000-seat stadium at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa used by the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks.

Using this location would be much easier since it the venue is recently renovated and ready for large crowds making it the logical location for an outdoor hockey game. However, the location is not held as dear to Canadian’s hearts as Parliament Hill.

The question regarding who would face Ottawa in the Heritage Classic has yet to be discussed. The most obvious opponent would be a rematch of the Battle of Ontario with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Toronto is already set to host the 2017 Winter Classic against the Detroit Red Wings. With that being said, the opponent would almost certainly be one of the remaining Canadian teams and a battle against the Montreal Canadiens would generate the most buzz.

Of course, this is assuming that Ottawa will get the chance to host the Heritage Classic game in 2017. There are no official plans for Ottawa to get the chance to host an outdoor game so the discussions are preliminary only at this time. Although, it seems unlikely the NHL would pass on the opportunity to allow Canada’s capital to host an outdoor game on Canada’s 150th birthday.

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