Get ready for the “Sens Lot.”
The cranes are coming out Thursday evening to clear Lowertown Brewery’s back parking lot at 73 York St. near Dalhousie Street, where a 12-foot-six-inch-by-six-foot-six-inch LED screen will be installed outside.
Alex Sirois is managing partner of Ottawa Venues, which operates the brewery. He says the “Sens Lot” will offer standing-room space for fans to gather outside and watch the team compete against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the NHL playoffs. It’s the team’s first playoff appearance since 2017, with the opening game scheduled for Sunday in Toronto.
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“There’s so much hype for the first time in eight years and there’s not enough places to watch,” Sirois told OBJ on Thursday. “I got in the queue (for playoff tickets) an hour ago, immediately as it opened, and I couldn’t get any. So we need more places to house fans. The city’s going to be alive and it’s a good time to open up some extra space for everyone.”
Sirois, a longtime Sens fan, said he’s had his eye on the NHL standings for weeks, waiting to see if the team would clinch a spot so he could set his plan in motion.
“Once they were locked in, the pressure-cooker got turned up and we were like, all right, let’s do this,” he said. “We’re pulling in all kinds of staff today, getting it all ready. It’s been on my mind for months and trying to buy tickets today and not even getting close really shows we’re going to need the space.”
The Sens Lot will provide additional space at the venue, which has 280 seats inside and another 110 on its patio where fans can watch on more average-sized screens. But the outdoor space, Sirois said, adds a unique flavour to the viewing experience.
Inspiration for the idea was drawn from other outdoor spaces constructed for fans to watch sports teams compete for their highest prizes.
“Jurassic Park in Toronto – that’s the gated area just outside (Scotiabank Arena) for the Toronto Raptors – it’s seen a lot of success,” Sirois told OBJ. “Nowadays, when they show the games, they always have SportsCentre panning to the outdoor space in Toronto.”
Sirois said the Market, and the rest of Ottawa, is abuzz with anticipation and restaurants and bars across the city are preparing for Senators fans to come out in force to support their team.
While Sirois has never experienced a Senators playoff game at the brewery, he said other sporting events have shown the dedication of Ottawa sports fans.
“This will be a first for me,” he said. “The atmosphere at a bar or restaurant is always very elevated. We saw it with the 4 Nations Face-Off, during that final. We had a full house here on both floors and a lot of Canadian pride. Hopefully (the Sens) get through to the second round and we can see more of it.”
