Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk says he is unsure that his club will be able to sell out its home opener at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
“I don’t know. We’re trying, but if we can’t, we can’t. What are you going to do?” Melnyk said during a guest spot on Prime Time Sports Wednesday evening on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “We could go out and stand on a corner and sell them for the best price. If we do that’s great. If we don’t well, it’s a long season.”
Attendance in Ottawa has been a hot topic since the spring, when there were 2,000 empty seats for a second-round playoff game between the Senators and New York Rangers.
The club removed 1,500 seats from the arena last month with the hope of creating higher demand for tickets.
“I don’t want to make excuses for anybody, but people are just getting their heads around the fact that winter is coming and hockey is here,” Melnyk told hosts Bob McCown and Damien Cox. “Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to ramp up.”
The Senators host the Washington Capitals Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Listen to Melnyk’s full interview in the audio player below.
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