Ottawa Senators' fans have playoff fever with brisk business at CTC box office

Enthusiastic Ottawa Senators fans are seen at the Canadian Tire Centre during the 2025 playoffs. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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The Ottawa Senators are the hottest ticket in town.

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The Senators’ first-round opponent hasn’t been set yet, nor have dates for the games in Ottawa, but that didn’t stop the phones from buzzing at the rink on the weekend because the nation’s capital has caught playoff fever.

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“It’s been crazy, but it’s been a good crazy,” Senators president Cyril Leeder told the Ottawa Citizen on Monday. “The phones have been busy, lots of inbound emails from season-seat members that didn’t renew for whatever reason and new people that want to buy season seats to make sure they get playoff access. It’s been great.”

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Tickets for the first two home games in the playoffs at the 17,753-seat rink won’t go on sale to the general public until Friday at 10 a.m. Leeder said season-ticket holders will be given a chance to buy single-game tickets on Thursday before the inventory for Game 3 and Game 4 is sold.

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“We’ll go back out to our season-seat members for one last kick at the can. So they’d have the ability to buy another four per game on an individual game basis,” Leeder said. “Then, based on what’s left over, we would go to our Sens Insiders at 10 a.m. and the general public at noon on Friday.”

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Judging by the way the inventory has been moving, Leeder estimated there will be fewer than 3,000 seats available to the public.

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Ottawa Senators president Cyril Leeder, seen in a 2023 file photo, says business has been ‘crazy’ since the team booked a spot in the playoffs for the second straight season. Photo by Julie Oliver /Postmedia

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“We’ll just sell Games 3 and 4 for the initial on-sale,” Leeder said.

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Getting to the playoffs is good for business, but it also helps the club’s credibility. This is the second straight year since the Senators were purchased by owner Michael Andlauer and his partners that the organization is headed to the NHL’s big dance.

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“Like it’s on the ice, momentum is pretty important,” said Leeder. “We definitely have momentum with the business community and the fan base. You make it two years in a row, we’ve got a good team here, and we’re not just going to be happy with getting into the playoffs.

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“Getting in is important. It speaks to where your team is and where the franchise is headed. Michael and the new owners have done everything the right way, and they’re trying to be deliberate, and we’re getting results. So I think that that bodes well.”

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League executives say that playoff revenue can be anywhere from $1.5 milliion to $2.5 million U.S. per game. The NHL takes a large chunk of the revenue from Round 1 to help pay the expenses involved with the playoffs.

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Not only does it help the club’s bottom line, but the Senators were also able to sign up more than 2,000 new season-seat members heading into this year after qualifying for the first time in eight years last spring.