'We're not just building the arena for one tenant': Mayor defends proposed 5,500 seat arena at Lansdowne

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is confident a new 5,500 seat arena at Lansdowne Park will accommodate the off ice success of PWHL Ottawa in the years ahead, as questions are raised about the size of the arena for professional woman's hockey.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is confident a new 5,500 seat arena at Lansdowne Park will accommodate the off ice success of PWHL Ottawa in the years ahead, as questions are raised about the size of the arena for professional woman's hockey.

The $419 million Lansdowne 2.0 includes a new north-side stands for TD Place and replacing the Civic Centre with a new 5,500 seat arena and event centre, with room for 1,000 standing room spots.

A public meeting to discuss the Lansdowne 2.0 plan will be held Tuesday night at TD Place. You can learn more about the event centre site plan and provide input from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

PWHL Ottawa led the league in attendance during the inaugural season, with an average of 7,495 fans for the 12 games at TD Place.

"This arena is going to serve a multitude of purposes; we're not just building an arena for PWHL Ottawa.," Sutcliffe told TSN Mornings on TSN 1200.

"Everybody is excited about the success of PWHL Ottawa; I'm thrilled with how it's gone and the atmosphere at their games and it brings out a different crowd, but they're going to use it for 15 nights a year out of 365."

Sutcliffe says the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) have been discussing the arena's plans with officials from the Professional Women's Hockey League and PWHL Ottawa.