Next year could bring Hollywood to Ottawa and sports fans in the capital’s hopes that will lead to fairy tale endings to the seasons of their favorite teams.
For the Ottawa Senators in particular, fans are desperate for a turnaround after several years of tough results and tough storylines.
The start of this season brought renewed hope, but injuries and disappointment continued through the early months of the NHL schedule. Cue Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who has made no secret of his intention to become a minority owner of the team when it is sold in 2024.
During an interview with Derek Monias, the student leader of Dennis Franklin Cromarty School in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Actor Ryan Reynolds says the Ottawa Senators have the potential to “explode” in popularity.
Team owner Eugene Melnyk passed away last spring, leaving many unanswered questions about the future of the franchise. His daughters took control and decided to sell, arousing a lot of interest.
On the ice, the Senators are struggling to qualify for the playoffs. They will get help after injuries took top players out of the lineup, but ownership issues will likely eclipse box scores as the bidding heats up among the billionaires.
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A minute’s silence for Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, who died of illness Monday before his team faced the Predators in Nashville.
Lansdowne’s disappointment and jumps for joy
The fight also continued across the city at TD Place as the Ottawa Redblacks finished last season in the Canadian Football League basement.
There is hope for 2023 with new head coach Bob Dyce, who has hired top staff members to breathe new life into professional football in Ottawa.
Fans are eager to see the team return to competition for a Gray Cup, which was a constant after the Redblacks came to town – including a championship in 2016.
The Redblacks prevailed in overtime 39-33 after the Calgary Stampeders rallied to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
The team that shares the field at TD Place, Atletico Ottawa, may be able to share part of their plan after a difficult inaugural season on the field in 2021.
The team won the 2022 Canadian Premier League regular season finishing first overall, but lost the championship final. Still, the strong improvement has sparked excitement among local football fans, which they hope will carry over into 2023.
With the retirement of fan favorite Drew Beckie, next year will also mark a new era for professional soccer in Ottawa.
ottawa morning6:02The captain of Atlético Ottawa is retiring.
Drew Beckie said now is the time for him to step down. He explains his decision and what will come next for him.
The success also continued for a neighbor of Lansdowne Park who rarely has a bad year: the Ottawa 67’s.
The junior hockey team ends 2022 as the best team in the Ontario Hockey League, and among the top 10 teams in Canada. A playoff run is once again in the cards this spring at TD Place Arena.
The team that shares the arena with the 67’s, the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, wants to see its own playoff series lead to a championship in 2024.
The young franchise will be looking to overcome the difficulty and reach the final for the very first time – they have lost in the semi-finals in each of their first two seasons.
Continuity usually helps, and the franchise gets it with the return of Javohn Shepherd as general manager and James Derouin as head coach.
Summer atmosphere
Even though the Ottawa baseball stadium is currently covered in piles of snow, let’s not forget the newest local baseball team, the Ottawa Titans.
The Titans will be looking to follow the path of the home football team when they enter their second season this spring. The Titans lost in the 2022 independent Frontier League divisional round, after its inaugural season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether on the ice, on the court or in the field, 2023 brings the potential for positive vibes for every professional sports team in the Nation’s Capital – something fans haven’t seen in some time.
Beyond that, it’s also worth keeping in mind that a new professional women’s soccer team could start hitting the field in Ottawa within the next few years.
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Marie-Ève Nault said a Canadian women’s professional soccer league in Canada is long overdue.
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