Ottawa’s New Arena Plans Are Failing Its Strongest Team

It’s a warm spring night in the Glebe. People in red jerseys stream through the streets like a river, laughing, talking, kids tugging on their parents’ sleeves as they pass the Aberdeen Pavilion. The lights are on at TD Place Arena, and the Ottawa Charge are about to play Game 2 of the Walter Cup Final.

Inside, it’s packed. 8,000 fans, families, students, season-ticket holders, new fans of women’s hockey, are on their feet. When the Charge take the ice, it’s electric.

And yet, if Lansdowne 2.0 moves ahead as planned, nights like this might be numbered.

The City of Ottawa’s proposed redevelopment, led by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), includes replacing the current TD Place Arena with a brand-new “event centre.” Modern, sleek… and much smaller. The new arena would cap out at just 5,500 seats for hockey. That’s smaller than the Charge’s average crowd in either of their first two seasons.

Let’s be clear: all six PWHL teams are navigating growing pains, but Ottawa is not struggling to draw fans. They’ve consistently led the league in attendance. They made the Walter Cup Final in just their second year. They’ve cultivated something special here, on the ice, in the seats, and in the streets. A fan base that’s loud, loyal, and only getting bigger.

So why shrink the venue?

OSEG and the City's vision is rooted in flexibility and long-term sustainability. The new building is designed to accommodate concerts, community events, and multiple tenants like the Ottawa 67’s. But in trying to serve everyone, they risk under-serving the team that’s helping redefine what professional women’s sport looks like in this city.

Last season, the 67’s averaged just around 3900 fans per game, far below TD Place’s current capacity of 9,000. Meanwhile, the Charge regularly push 7,000 or more, often selling out. And yet it’s the women’s team that’s being told they need to fit into a smaller future. A 5,500-seat arena doesn’t serve either team well, and it certainly doesn’t match the scale of belief this city has shown for women’s hockey.

Some have suggested the Ottawa Charge could one day move in with the Ottawa Senators. That would be a big, symbolic step, but it’s not a solution right now. The Senators still play in Kanata, a trek for many fans, and they’re still atleast five years away from moving to Lebreton Flats. Sharing a rink with them someday would be a milestone for women’s hockey. But that’s a future goal, not a present fix.

Right now, TD Place is the home of the Charge. It’s where records have been broken. Where little girls have learned what a sold-out women’s game sounds like. Where Ottawa has shown up, not out of novelty, but out of belief.

Belief in the players. In the product. In the possibility.

And yet, the city’s plans don’t reflect that belief. Not yet.

The fans know it. Anyone who’s tried to get a last-minute ticket knows it. This team needs more room, not less. Because when 6,000 or 7,000 people want to be part of something, every game, every week, you don’t turn them away.

This isn’t just about capacity. It’s about vision. About who we make space for when we rebuild. About whether we’re ready to design the future around what’s already working.

The Ottawa Charge are working. Women’s hockey in this city is working. And Lansdowne should rise to meet it, not shrink it to fit.