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Ottawa mayor wants Senators, Canadiens outdoor game on Parliament Hill

Ottawa mayor wants Senators, Canadiens outdoor game on Parliament Hill

The NHL has yet to hold an outdoor game in a really unique locale. Since the original Heritage Classic in 2003, the venues have been baseball and football stadiums despite pleas to get creative, like say, Central Park.

The latest plea comes from the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, who would like his city to do something really special if they’re awarded a game.

Speaking to TSN 1200 on Tuesday, Watson explained that there are early talks (the Senators haven’t been involved) about holding a outdoor game in 2017 on Parliament Hill.

The plan would be to have the Senators host the Montreal Canadiens around the date of the 100th anniversary of the first ever NHL game, Dec. 19, 1917. The league centennial wouldn’t be the only party going on in 2017 as Canada will celebrate its 150th anniversary in two years time.

Via Ian Mendes of TSN:

"There's been a number of discussions that have gone on between the federal government and the NHL about having it on the Hill," said Watson. "And it's not a far-fetched idea - it's physically possible. You probably wouldn't be able to have as many spectators because you wouldn't have the space and there are obviously security concerns, but my understanding is that the federal groups that are responsible have said it is a possibility.”

The emphasis is ours.

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That’s the big hangup about holding an outdoor game at a non-traditional sports venue. These games are cash cows for the city, the teams and the NHL. Would the costs for extra security, seating and everything else that would go into holding a game on Parliament Hill be worth it for the bottom line in the end? Probably not, especially with a freshly-renovated 24,000 seat TD Place ready to host a game.

TD Place will host the Grey Cup in November 2017, so, as Mendes notes, extra seating could already be set up if a Senators-Canadiens game is to take place a month later.

“I think just from a patriotic point of view and with a wow factor to have the Peace Tower and the Parliament buildings and a rink nestled between the East Block and the West Block would be fantastic,” Watson said.

We’ll reach a point with these outdoor games that some really unique venues like Parliament Hill will get serious consideration, but it’ll probably be a while before it comes to that.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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