Can Ottawa survive a rebuild?

If the city doesn't support a team during what should be a quick rebuild, they don't deserve the team.

The Sens have been in the playoffs for 11 straight years. The franchise deserves a mulligan. If Elliott is all that fans hope, and cutting out dead weight like Neil, Gerber, and Fisher, the Sens will contend for the division next year.

If we cant, we dont deserve that team, and we can only blame ourselves.

This is the type of question that has Sens fans labelled as turncoats and wagoneers. We shouldn't even be talking about this and if you're thinking it, then...I agree with the poster above, if we can't survive a rebuild we don't deserve a team.

The upcoming and current economic down-turn ain't gonna help either...

Well put Jam. Have some faith, kids.

I don't think Ottawa could survive a lengthy rebuild but I think OTT
will turn at around reasonably quickly (within 3 seasons). The
entertainment value of going to a game is so minimal in multiple ways
the organization makes it easy for people to want to stay home.

shabbs wrote:Any team that plans to go through a rebuild needs to set the expectations early, keep echoing this day in and day out and lay out a clear plan so the fans can understand what is expected and what is coming. Fletcher did this somewhat with the Leafs and they kept hammering that the fans should not expect a competitive team as they go through this process.

I have to agree here. I know that as long as I have a clear indication where the team I cheer for is heading, I will back them 100%.

This league, and this team, is still dependant on gate and retail revenue, so that means the fans. Alienate the fans and you'll see the revenue streams dry up. I do not see this being the case here in Ottawa, though.

I may sound naive, but why would Ottawa move before Phoenix or nashville??

Because Bettman does not want to give up on US markets. If he did, they (along with Florida's) would be gone by now.

I'll still support the team, but I am not a paying customer. Fans not in Ottawa can't do much when it comes to financial support.

For all the dedicated, loyal fans, there are probably just as many not so loyal and patient ones. Like the ones that perhaps have bought season tickets year after year.

No brainer for me. Ottawa can and will survive. I know this is cliche but fans just want to see hard work and effort and if the team goes with a youth movement then we'll tolerate rookie mistakes as long as it isn't due to lazyness. The rebuild will likely take 2 or 3 years but we'll likely only miss the playoffs this season and in 09/10. After that we'll scrape in and that's all you need to keep the casual fan interested.

Mike Fisher, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Three big names all with legions of fans nation wide. They might be the only things keeping some fans interested. Move them and you potentially lose fans. Around here, the odd Sens fans are fans because of one person - Jason Spezza (not that Toronto fans are crucial to the teams welfare).

I'm pretty much being the devils advocate here, showing all the reasons why it might cost the city the team. Of course I do not want Ottawa to move, but for all the reasons I mentioned, it is not impossible.

Only there won't be a rebuild. Making the playoffs last year on a technicality makes this the second year of regression already.

A trade or two and a couple of signings for a playoff appearance next year is what's happening.

I think Fans will stay with the team as long as we start seeing progression.


In the early sens day's, they were brutal, but got better every year. thats what gets fans interested. Fans know that the best time to watch a team play is when it is progressing through the ranks.

I'm a little worried that we have way too many fairweather fans in Ottawa. This could kill the team in Ottawa, and we'd probably lose the team.

It's weird going to games now and seeing rows upon rows and some sections empty. I've never seen that in Ottawa and it freaks me out a little.

The only reason I say that we can lose our team is because of that and because of the economy. Things are not going to get better in the economy for a minimum of 3 years (probably much more). It could really get tight for us, unless some things start to change. Another season like this one and fans are going to drop like flies unfortunately.

We are nowhere near a team like Montreal or Toronto. They've been around for sooooo long and have a Dung more fans than we do at the moment. I can't see them ever having problems selling out no matter how badly they're doing.

The one thing about ottawa though is that in the past, the fans have come back to save the team when the posibility of them leaving the city was made public.

Ottawa wants the team to stay, its just hard to watch them loose all the time.

SensGirl11 wrote:It's weird going to games now and seeing rows upon rows and some sections empty. I've never seen that in Ottawa and it freaks me out a little.

The only reason I say that we can lose our team is because of that and because of the economy. Things are not going to get better in the economy for a minimum of 3 years (probably much more). It could really get tight for us, unless some things start to change. Another season like this one and fans are going to drop like flies unfortunately.

We are nowhere near a team like Montreal or Toronto. They've been around for sooooo long and have a Dung more fans than we do at the moment. I can't see them ever having problems selling out no matter how badly they're doing.

I worked at SBP when it first opened and was there for 8 years. I can tell you that many a night not only were there empty seats, but we (building operations) didn't even staff Ushers in some sections as there were not enough tickets sold in those sections to warrant having someone there.

They will survive. There is definately 15000-17000 fans willing to pay to see their team play. Sure games like Buffalo, and Atlanta will suffer because they don't have a strong following but Ottawa will do fine. As long as they don't do what the CFL owners in this city have done and screw things up.

May be it is the time to lower the costs of the tickets too I would definitely go see more games ^^