Q&A: Ottawa Senators exec Cyril Leeder on his return, new arena timeline and location

OTTAWA — On the same day last fall that fans of the Ottawa Senators got to meet their new team owner, Michael Andlauer, they welcomed home a familiar face: Cyril Leeder. 

A co-founder of Ottawa’s NHL team, which launched in 1992, Leeder was an executive with the franchise from its inception until he was let go in a fit of pique by then-Senators owner Eugene Melnyk in 2017. 

Andlauer, who knew Leeder from the days when the two often represented Montreal (Andlauer) and Ottawa at the NHL Board of Governors meetings, had it in the back of his mind to reinstate Leeder as the Senators CEO and president if Leeder was willing to return. 

Sportsnet spoke with Leeder this week about a wide range of topics around the hockey club, including its season-ticket campaign, the ongoing file to build a new NHL arena closer to downtown Ottawa and more. 

You were away from the organization for more than six years. What did that feel like, coming back to the NHL team that you co-founded?

It was really great, honestly. In life, you don’t often get a do-over on things that are really important to you. Like getting second chances. So, I’m really grateful for the opportunity that Michael and the ownership group gave me to come back and very appreciative of it. It’s been a lot of fun, so far it’s been more than I could have imagined.

What are some of the biggest changes you see in the organization, from the time that you were away?

I get that question a lot. What’s new? What’s different? Within the organization, Capital Sports, I think our team is a lot younger. You’ve got younger people working in the business, and that’s partly due to the fact that 30 years ago, there were a lot of those folks for a long time — there wasn’t much turnover. That’s happened, now, and it’s good. 

From a league perspective, what is kind of topical right now — we’re seeing lots of changes on the broadcast front. That would be the biggest change, going away from linear broadcasting to the streaming services. Obviously, the league hasn’t done that yet, but the NFL has, the MLB has and the NBA is just in the middle of renewing their national agreements. So, we’ll see what comes of that, but my guess is that when the NHL deal comes due (2026) and our (regional) deal (also 2026) comes due — certainly over the next 10 years — you’ll start to see a combination of linear and streaming packages out there.

Do you also see changes in the community since you were last with the Senators, in 2017?

I think the community is pretty similar, I see a lot of the same faces, which is good. I think it’s grown. We’ve got a more diverse community now. So, I think our fan base — the makeup is a little bit different from a demographic point of view. Again, I think it is skewing younger, a lot of younger fans coming to our games, and I think that’s healthy and a positive step forward.

What would you say is your primary focus at the moment?

It’s pretty straightforward. I’m focused on the arena project, so that’s got a lot of my attention. And with the hockey club, the focus is on two areas: one, on our ticketing and season ticket base, and two, with our corporate partners. Where I’ll spend most of my time is on the arena, with our ticketing base and helping with our corporate sponsorships. 

Maybe we could start with ticket sales. Where are you with ticket packages for next season and do you have a targeted number for the offseason?

Yes, we do. We don’t make those public but, you know, we’ve launched a campaign, we’re now at Day 14 of our renewal campaign and it’s going really well. We’re pleased. Most of the teams in the league have a similar target, they aim to renew 90 per cent or more of their season tickets. And that’s always been a challenge in Ottawa. Last year, the club was able to renew over 90 per cent of its season tickets. And we’ve got the same kind of metric this year — we’d like to be north of 90 per cent and the early returns are tracking ahead of last year. So, we’re in a good spot and expect to be able to renew 90 per cent or more of our season tickets. And obviously some new ones, we’re expecting some growth on the season ticket base. 

It’s still, Wayne, one of the lowest season-ticket bases in the league. So, we’ve got some heavy lifting to do there. The good news is, by any indicator you want to pick: total tickets sold, number of sellouts, number of season tickets — everything is up this year. We’re having a really good year and we're headed in the right direction. But I think it’s going to be at least two years and maybe three before we get to the league average on season-ticket base (about 11,000).

The last number I saw for home attendance was 17,756 on average and 13 sellouts already. Is that satisfying for a team that has had a challenging first half of the season? Last season’s average was 16,757.

What you’re really hoping for is positive growth and all those metrics you’ve just mentioned are the ones we follow closest, which is average attendance and sellouts. And those numbers are accurate. I think a combination of things are responsible. People were genuinely excited about the team coming into the season. Certainly, new ownership and the changes that occurred at the end of September (including a new GM in Steve Staios) help as well. And, as you know, our tickets are the most affordable in the league. So, it’s still a great value proposition. Most nights you can get a ticket for less than $40, so that’s pretty good value for NHL hockey. 

And some buy one, get one free offers are out there as well. 

Some of those games that are tougher to move (e.g., Columbus on a Tuesday night); we’re trying to help them along, and at the same time we’ve got to focus on trying to sell out another five or six games that look like they’ve got a chance to sell out. So, we’re pulling on all the different levers here to try to move tickets and to keep the building full and fans engaged.

What’s your sense of the current mood of the fan base? As you say, hopes were so high last fall. 

I think maybe expectations might have been a little too high at the beginning of the season. We may have overplayed our hand, there. Oversold it. We’ve had some good discussions with season-seat members here in the last couple of weeks. We had a town hall with 300 in the room. Every game now, we’ve got at least 30 or 40 season seat holders coming in to talk to the hockey management group and the business team, myself. And the feeling is kind of universal. Everybody’s excited. They’re all supportive. They just want to see this team go in the right direction and be competitive. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Steve Staios, Dave Poulin (senior vice-president of hockey operations) and Michael Andlauer. These guys are going to figure it out, they’re going to get it right. They’ve got a good plan. It’s a very detailed plan and I’m absolutely confident they’re going to deliver on it. I think fans are going to be rewarded with a team they’re going to be really proud of and happy to call their own. 

You know, fans invest so much emotionally and financially in the team, and that’s kind of where, if there’s any frustration, that’s where that comes in with sports fans in that they’re really invested in their teams. 

Let’s get to the arena file. What’s the latest there?

There isn’t a lot new, this is not like a weekly update process. We’re working with the NCC (National Capital Commission) and the city. Obviously we have an MOU (memorandum of understanding, regarding a parcel of land on LeBreton Flats, west of Parliament Hill) and we’re reviewing it with them. We’re trying to get that in a position where we think it’s workable for us and the city. The city has asked us to look at some additional sites as well, if we’re interested. And we have. So, we’re going to work away at trying to identify the best possible location. How do we do that? And, from a fan’s perspective, try to figure out what’s going to be in the best interest of the fan base, long term. Really, you’ve got to think about it for a 30- or 40-year period. For the next 30 or 40 years, where is the best location for an arena from a fan perspective? And that’s kind of the lens we’re trying to approach it with. 

We’ve been at the Canadian Tire Centre for 28 years. It’s been a good home for us. It could end up being a long-term home, but I think right now there’s a lot of momentum and support for a downtown arena. And heaven knows our downtown could really use it at this point, with the federal government not back to work on a full-time basis. The aftereffects of COVID have been really hard on our downtown. So, we think the timing is right. The next six to eight months is going to be spent trying to figure out if we can get something closer to downtown.

If you were a betting man, would you think the odds favour LeBreton or a different site at this point?

There are some good alternatives there. LeBreton is a good site, too. At the end of the day, it’s just — what is going to make the most sense from a fan’s perspective. We’ve just got to get this thing right and figure it out. 

Is it fair to say you’re in a good bargaining position with the NCC because — I get the sense they don’t want to lose this arena deal for a second time? They thought they had you guys locked up many years ago (RendezVous LeBreton was first approved in 2016), a file that you worked on so closely. 

We thought we had that locked up, too. No, I don’t think so. I don’t view this as bargaining, or better positioning. It’s just getting it right. It’s got to work for both sides. It’s got to work for the hockey team, and whether it’s the city or NCC from the other side. You’ve got to figure out some common ground there.

I guess with options comes a better opportunity to get it right.

I think options are important. If you’ve ever bought or sold a house, you know you probably never got exactly what you wanted, and the seller didn’t get what they wanted. It’s usually a compromise. And I think options usually lead to compromise. People have to be reasonable, to work together to get something that works for both sides. 

In terms of timeline, are we looking at four or five more years in Kanata?

I think that’s kind of the minimum, is another four years here. It could be longer, depending on how long it takes to figure out the arena process. 

I’m going to ask you to think back to the old Lions Arena in 1987, where Bruce Firestone and Randy Sexton and you first conceived of the idea of an NHL team for Ottawa. Nearly four decades later, what strikes you most about what you founders created?

Yeah, well, the lore is true. It was over beers at the old Lions Arena where Bruce first floated the idea. When we actually got thinking about a plan and what a team would look like in Ottawa, you know, it has far exceeded our wildest expectations. We always thought it would be a big deal. We thought it would be important to the city and we thought there’d be a following. We just didn’t realize how important it would become to the city, how integral it is to the community, and not just the hockey community but the charitable community, the business community and tourism. It’s just really become a vital part of a lot of people’s lives in the city. 

The community is forever grateful for your role in bringing the Senators here, and I know fans are universally pleased to see you back in your executive role with the team. Thanks for doing this, Cyril. 

I appreciate that, Wayne. They say that when you love something, you never work a day in your life. It’s been a real passion play since the day Bruce mentioned there was a chance to do it. It’s been an important part of my business career, but also my personal life. I feel strongly about the team and the city and it’s just great I’ve had the chance to spend the majority of my career with the hockey club.