It’s a day hockey fans have been waiting for.
On the first day of the post-lockout season, hockey fans were out in full force supporting their teams – including Ottawa Senators fans in the capital.
Ottawa played their first game of the season against the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg.
Hundreds of fans came out to Scotiabank Place to watch the puck drop on the big screen.
“I’m just excited for the season to start, and I love the Sens!” said nine-year-old Bennett Langdon. “To me, they’re the best hockey team I’ve ever seen.”
Fans lined up to get in to Scotiabank Place to watch the game on the Bell HD screen for free.
The first 500 fans through the doors received free tickets to an upcoming home game, either for a game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Jan. 29 or against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, February 5th.
“I’m a big fan, I was a little mad at first when they went on strike, but, they brought me back,” said fan Sara Fletcher.
She was among the first fans in line to get their hands on a pair of free tickets.
“I’ve been a Senators fan since I can remember, I’m always there when there are tickets for playoffs and stuff like that, and hopefully I’ll be there again this year in the finals,” said Peter Begley, in line for more than four hours to get a pair of free tickets.
The Senators organization and Scotiabank Place also held a job fair at the stadium to recruit employees for the upcoming season.
“On a typical game night we have up to 1200 people working here… so hopefully we’ll have a lot of new faces to greet our fans,” said Jeff Kyle, the Ottawa Senators VP of Marketing.
Part-time positions were available for several jobs, including parking lot attendants, security guards, and employees in the Sens Store.
Prospective employees lined-up with resumes in hand for an opportunity to work at the stadium.
“I’m here as a family; my little brother, my father, my mother, we’re all here looking for part-time work, so we can save up and go on a trip next year," said Ryan Godin.
“It’s still an environment where you can have fun at work, and really good experience for a resume, and I mean, who doesn’t want to work at a Sens game?” said Victoria Laflamme-Descarie, another prospective employee.
“There’s an excitement of watching the game at home, but being here, being with the fans, that’s an experience you just can’t get anywhere else.”
With files from CTV’s Claudia Cautillo
