Some Sens fans unimpressed with team's efforts to fill seats
Former season ticket holders say they won't be tempted to renew their passes by cheaper concessions alone
A few former Ottawa Senators season ticket holders say the promise of cheaper concessions and merchandise alone won't tempt them back, despite efforts by the team to drum up fan support.
The team announced a new ad campaign this week dubbed "The Seventh" in reference to the fans being the seventh player on the ice.
The program gives season ticket holders 20 per cent off food and non-alcoholic drinks at the Canadian Tire Centre — along with the current perk of 20 per cent off merchandise — and promises a limited-edition, exclusive set of team gear for them.
Shaila Anwar, who had season tickets for 24 years, said the cost of seats and gear was not the problem.
"I didn't cancel my season tickets because I thought they were too expensive," she told CBC's All In A Day. "I don't see myself being aligned with the team until there is a new owner."
Anwar said the way the team has treated players like Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson in recent years has completely soured her on being a fan.
She said it's still going to take more to convince her to come back, but at least management is admitting there's a problem.
"It is really the first they have acknowledged there is some discontent among the fans," she said.
On-ice problem
Nada Alghazali, another former season ticket holder, said she went to the games to watch a good team, not buy slightly discounted concessions.
"The truth is, it is not about those perks anyway," she said.
She said they need a better on-ice experience if they want to lure her back.
"It is ownership. It is the on-ice experience," she said. "They can put in a circus in there, but if we are finishing dead last every season they are still not going to get attendance."
The Senators have already been struggling with dwindling attendance numbers. During last season's 41 home games, the Senators drew an average of 15,829 fans, according to figures compiled by ESPN.
Attendance hasn't exactly rebounded this season either. In November, OC Transpo started cutting the number of trips to the Canadian Tire Centre due to lack of use.
Fans have seemingly been united in dread over the past month, after the team lost several key veterans at the trade deadline and a deal that would have seen a new arena built downtown fell through.