Sens' hot streak could spark new ownership announcement
The Ottawa Senators are wowing fans with win after win and all the excitement around the team could spark an announcement of who will soon own it.
With five wins in a row, the longest streak of the season, the team is turning heads, and businesses, around.
“When it’s game day the building gets pretty packed and there is people here enjoying some drinks and enjoying some food and hoping for a Sens win,” says Ahmed Mahfouz, owner of Creekside Bar & Grill in Manotick. “Whenever they score a goal there is some noise in this place, absolutely everybody in Ottawa’s been waiting a few years for a playoff game here.”
In 2007, the Ottawa Senators had their closest run at the Stanley Cup, ultimately defeated by the Anaheim Ducks, and in 2015 there was another, much shorter playoff run against Montreal. But in both cases, the city was absorbed by ‘Sens Fever’. Downtown, Elgin Street became the ‘Sens Mile’, the fans were electric and so was the vibe.
“This city is always buzzing for playoffs and you can feel it right now with 20 games left to march into the playoffs,” says AJ Jakubec, sports broadcaster with TSN 1200. “It’s going to be challenging. They play a lot of tough teams but we will see if they can keep things rolling and keep things interesting on this road trip.”
While the Senators push to win a spot in the playoffs, during their next five away games beginning Monday in Chicago, more than 15 groups are competing to purchase the franchise - which could fetch beyond $800 million.
Toss-in Canadian movie star Ryan Reynolds, who’s keen to buy-in with Remington Group, hockey hall-of-famer Daniel Alfredsson, who has expressed interest in working in the front-office, which he calls a “dream job”, and the excitement of a developing team surpassing expectations, sports economist and professor at Concordia University, Moshe Lander, says an ownership announcement could be imminent.
“This is the type of thing that can stimulate fan interest that’s been lagging for a decade,” he says. “You want to make this announcement when the Ottawa Senators are hot because that’s the type of thing that creates that accelerant… what you want to try and do is get this done before they are officially eliminated because at that point everyone starts thinking about the Redblacks or they start thinking about something else… possibly looking at a wildcard this is when you want to close the deal and say all right it’s maybe a little too late for it this year but wait for training camp in September, this is going to be a really exciting franchise to be with.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.