Ottawa unlikely to bid for 2014 Memorial Cup

Brian Kilrea doesn’t have to be convinced of Ottawa’s ability to pull off a major hockey event.

He remembers the buzz around the city and standing behind the bench at the Ottawa Civic Centre during the 1999 Memorial Cup, watching his hometown 67’s and other teams play before sellout crowds on the way to setting an attendance record.

“It was unbelievable, the atmosphere,” the now-retired Ontario Hockey League head coach said in an interview, recalling his team’s march to a Canadian junior title. “I remember everyone being behind the 67’s, tickets were much sought-after and the city got behind it, too.”

But the 72-year-old Kilrea, now a part-time scout with the team, believes it could be some time before Ottawa is awarded another Memorial Cup — in particular 2014 — despite the success of the NHL all-star game over the weekend. It’s a feeling shared by the 67’s ownership and management.

“It’s not really a possibility for us despite the vibrancy of the Ottawa market, its hunger for hockey and our organizational ability to plan a Memorial Cup tournament,” team vice-president Randy Burgess said in an e-mail when asked if Ottawa would submit a bid for the 2014 Memorial Cup after Mayor Jim Watson said the NHL event would pump an estimated $30 million into the local economy.

In previous years, Ottawa has also successfully played host to the 2009 world junior hockey championship and the 2005 and 2008 NHL entry drafts.

“Our reality is that in 2014 we’ll be launching a new CFL football team and a new NASL [North American Soccer League] team at Lansdowne Park," Burgess added. The park is where J. Benson Cartage Centre — formerly the Civic Centre — sits.

Compounding matters is some uncertainty about the completion date for the $300-million park project, which was initially slated for June 2013 and called for a mix of condominium and retail space along with the renovation of Frank Clair Stadium.

Now, the stadium isn’t expected to be ready for use until June 2014, with the park not completed until the following summer.

Kilrea said questions would remain if bidding for the 2014 Memorial Cup became a viable option.

"Would they renovate the rink to the point where we could hold the [Memorial Cup] in a [potentially] hot month in May, have it air-conditioned and the dehumidifiers in place so that we would have no danger in cancelling [games]. We were fortunate to get through [the 1999 tournament without issues]. You could have a heat wave and terrible ice, or fog buildup.

“There also aren’t enough dressing rooms. We had to use a hallway [in 1999] until one of the teams was eliminated.”

Also hurting Ottawa’s chances for 2014, Kilrea added, is the fact the Canadian Hockey League prefers to move the tournament around.

Windsor, Ont., which last hosted in 1981 and lost a bid for the 2011 Memorial Cup, is widely considered the favourite when the event returns to Ontario after stops in Shawinigan, Que., this May and Saskatoon in the spring of 2013.

Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel is doing his part to build a strong team over the next two seasons, having traded two key players in goalie Jack Campbell and forward Tomas Kuhnhackl separately in November and receiving four players and 10 draft picks in return.