The Ottawa Charge are officially moving to the Canadian Tire Centre, as the team announced on Thursday afternoon. Like with any such move, there are both pros and cons to the decision. Ultimately, there’s no absolutely right answer that would be a perfect solution for everyone. The relocation has its pitfalls, but at the end of the day, this is a necessary business decision, and it appears, the best available option.
“As the Charge community continues to grow, the move to the Canadian Tire Centre will position us to welcome more fans and continue building a memorable experience for our players and our supporters,” said general manager Mike Hirshfeld in a league release.
First & foremost, it quickly became clear that the arena at TD Place couldn’t last. Last November, Elisha wrote about exactly this, noting:
The truth is, the arena at TD Place cannot continue much longer as it stands. Both the arena and the north-side stadium stands are nearly 60 years old and literally crumbling, “deteriorating and past their functional life span.” The facilities no longer meet modern standards for accessibility or energy efficiency, and the maintenance costs are increasing every year. Even costly patchwork repairs wouldn’t solve the core problem.
With that in mind, there were three potential options on the table for the Ottawa Charge. The team could either move to Canadian Tire Centre, hold out for the new “Lansdowne 2.0, or relocate entirely. Go ahead and take the third option off; Ottawa has proven itself to be a good market for women’s hockey, and the PWHL wouldn’t be eager to pull out.
A Growing Fanbase
Waiting for the new Lansdowne arena wouldn’t have been such a bad idea – if the capacity was the same, or larger. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. The capacity would drop by several thousand, which is significant. That’s not to say the PWHL would never move a team to a smaller venue—Boston’s Agganis Arena has a slightly lower capacity than Tsongas Center—but it’s got to make sense. This just… wouldn’t.
Realistically, there’s just no way the PWHL would agree to move the Charge to a smaller arena when they’ve had such strong attendance. In the 2024-25 season, the Charge welcomed 85,366 fans to 13 regular season home games, an average of 6,567. A single game played at Canadian Tire Centre brought in 11,065 fans. They then played four home playoff games at TD Place with 29,683 fans, averaging 7,421.
This season, the Charge played 12 regular season games at TD Place. A total of 88,584 fans attended, for an average of 7,382. Their lone game at Canadian Tire Centre brought in 17,114 fans—a new team record. Those are significant year-over-year increases on both counts that represent the team and league’s growth in popularity.
It was not surprising that the Charge elected to move to Canadian Tire Centre for the playoffs. In four games, they welcomed 53,665 fans, averaging 13,416. That’s a nearly 81 percent increase from the prior year’s playoffs, due in part to the team’s success and popularity, but also: you need a bigger arena in order to be able to welcome more fans.
Senators president & CEO Cyril Leeder noted the team’s growing fanbase in a statement: “In a short period of time the Charge have developed a substantial following and fanbase, and they have become an important part of our local hockey ecosystem.”
A Necessary Move
The league is betting that the popularity of the team—and the success they’ve had—will win out over the travel required to reach Kanata. It may not be perfect from the get-go, and there are undoubtedly fans that aren’t thrilled about the move. Attendance may see some ups and downs over the next season or two, and while that’s not ideal, it’s okay.
The bottom line is that the Charge had to do something, had to move somewhere. This is the best option available to them. The PWHL does not have the funds, infrastructure or personnel to construct its own arena. They are at the mercy of the NHL team and other stakeholders in the community—for better or worse.
Here’s the good news: this isn’t a Taylor Swift song. It doesn’t have to be forever or go down in flames. At some point, the Senators are also expected to move, with plans for a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats. That location would be ideal for the Ottawa Charge and the PWHL, too, when the time comes.
The Charge’s move to Canadian Tire Centre is a temporary solution in the meantime, getting them out of a deteriorating arena in TD Place and steering them away from attendance limits that would potentially stunt the team’s growth. In the long run, this will be what’s best for players, fans and the team as a whole.
