NHL Game Delayed Without Notice Leaves Fans Outraged

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Liam McCormick
October 29, 2024 (6:33 PM)

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The Ottawa Senators arena has been the butt end of jokes for years, and tonight the Canadian Tire Centre was under fire once again.

The Senators were slated to face the St. Louis Blues tonight at 7:00, but as the players took the ice for warmups, the entire arena lost power. According to Sens reporter Julian McKenzie, the lights in the arena, the scoreboard, the television broadcasts, the wifi - everything went to black.

There was a brief moment of mass confusion from fans in attendance as to what was going on. The Senators released a statement on social media just 4 minutes before the game was scheduled to begin, informing fans of the delay due to a power outage affecting the area. Fans in attendance said there was no communication to them, as some may have even thought the game would be cancelled.

Fans were quick to jump on the Senators for their poor communication to their fans, including some just roasting the team for their financial issues in the past, saying they can pay their electrical bills.

The Senators did miss their goal of a 7:15 start time, but were able to begin the game shortly after 7:30. If the game had to be delayed much longer, perhaps another hour, it may have been possible the game was going to be cancelled. Thankfully for the Senators as well, the team is slated to move to a new arena in a downtown location in the next few years

The extra time before puck drop must've done the Sens some good though, as the team came out flying to take a 3-0 lead in the first period. Ottawa can take a lesson from this game being a microcosm of their franchise: move on the off-ice problems and just perform on the ice already. New owner Michael Andlauer seems to be getting them back on the right track.