How an X user put the Sens arena on (and off) the map

The CTC is 27 km away from Ottawa city hall. What if other NHL cities had the same commute?

Published Nov 24, 2023 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 2 minute read

Canadian Tire Centre, Saturday, October 14, 2023. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

Where, exactly, would each National Hockey League team play if their arena was located about 30 kilometres from city hall, the same distance from Ottawa City Hall to the Canadian Tire Centre?

So glad you asked.

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X user and Ottawa Senators fan @realgulk has laid it all out, mapping some absurd locations for NHL teams if each arena was be located 27 kilometres southwest of the city centre.

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According to his maps, the Vancouver Canucks would play home games somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps there could be boat-up access to an underwater arena made from clear, aquarium-like panels so marine wildlife could watch the game, too.

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The Buffalo Sabres and their visiting opponents would theoretically be playing in international waters in the middle of Lake Erie.

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The Winnipeg Jets would be relegated to a canola field just outside Oak Bluff, Man., population 1,442. On the positive side, there would likely be plenty of room for parking, though the farmers might have something to say about it.

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Meanwhile, Toronto Maple Leafs fans would have to trek nearly to Oakville to catch home games.

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As for the Montreal Canadiens, they would be playing on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Châteauguay, Que., a residential suburb approximately 25 kilometres from the Island of Montreal. As with the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, public transit access would likely be an issue there.

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In an interview, the man behind the maps said he blended cartography skills with his love of the Senators and his distaste for the Canadian Tire Centre’s location.

“I grew up in Kanata, so I have every incentive to say it’s a great place for an arena,” he said. “It’s not.”

The X user, who preferred to remain anonymous, is a university student. His maps have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on what was formerly Twitter, with many respondents shocked to see the Senators’ current setup mapped onto their respective cities.

This is wild as hell, as an American I had to google how far the CTC is, then convert it (17 miles). The LA arena would be 5 miles further away than I am to it. Perspective is wild and kudos to those sens fans making that trip. Fantastic work here.

— Nïckko The SoCal Sïckko (@pronickk) November 23, 2023

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“Basically, every fan base has been like, ‘Oh my god! What’s happening in Ottawa?’” he said.

The Senators, of course, may not play in Kanata forever. The team’s leadership has long been pondering a move to downtown, even signing a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission for the right to build a new arena on LeBreton Flats. If that plan goes ahead, it would place the hockey team’s home less than five kilometres from city hall.

Hopefully, a cartographically inclined hockey fan will update the maps, if and when that happens.