Senators to remove 1,500 seats ... in attempt to boost attendance
The Ottawa Senators seem to have figured out how to rectify their low attendance issue.
According to team president Tom Anselmi, Canadian Tire Centre will have 1,500 less seats than it did for the 2016-17 regular season and playoffs. The reduction in seating capacity will attempt to make the arena easier for fans to fill, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun reports.
Despite being one of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference all season long, Ottawa struggled to put people in the seats, averaging just under 17,000 fans a game - the ninth-worst attendance in the NHL.
The Sens have eliminated about 1500 seats for the upcoming season. The top of both ends pic.twitter.com/nmIGgNrsHG
— Brent Wallace (@tsn_wally) September 7, 2017
The low point for fan turnout was when Ottawa struggled to fill the building for a second-round playoff game against the New York Rangers in April. Not only was the rink not sold out, but thousands of tickets were left unsold for Game 1.
With less empty space and seats available, Senators executives will be hoping for a better atmosphere and more sellouts.