All-Star game gives Ottawa a chance to shine

OTTAWA – Hockey's superstars have landed, the Stanley Cup has glided across the Rideau Canal and the excitement is ramping up in Canada's capital city as it kicks off the NHL All-Star weekend.

Ottawa is the host city for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, the league's annual showcase of talent pitting NHL heroes against each other in a game for fun.

The game will be televised in 150 countries and with such bright stars on home ice, it gives Ottawa a chance to shine.

"It’s a big spotlight for the city of Ottawa," said Cyril Leeder, president of the Ottawa Senators.

The events around the All-Star game have been designed to take advantage of one of Ottawa's unavoidable characteristics.

"We are are a winter capital," Leeder said. "We’ve done a number of things outside."

It started with a skate with the Stanley Cup on Thursday afternoon to officially kick off the weekend of activities.

Lord Stanley's cup led other iconic trophies including the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Vezina Trophy in an icy parade on Canada's longest outdoor skating rink.

Ushering the trophies down the ice were boys and girls who play Timbits hockey, all of whom made the hundreds of spectators lining the sides of the waterway grin. Dozens more braved the frigid weather and watched the procession from the many bridges criss-crossing the canal. 

William Cameron was one of the children who escorted the President’s Trophy. He said after Thursday’s skate, going out to the canal will never be the same. 

"I can’t really think of an adjective to describe it,” he said of the parade. 

A crush of people descended on the Cup when it reached the end of the waterway, all trying to catch a glimpse of Canada’s most coveted trophy before it was taken into the warmth of the Ottawa Convention Centre. 

It was the Cup's first return to the canal in more than a century. The last time the trophy met the waterway was in the early 1900s when members of the Ottawa Silver Sevens drop-kicked the Cup into the canal. It was left there overnight.

The canal, located about 25 km away from Scotiabank Place where the game will be held, is also the site of several other events including a charity skate and a junior skills competition.

Downtown focus 

Many of the events are being held downtown instead of in the suburbs near the arena to showcase the city's iconic attractions. The Scotiabank NHL fanfare is at the Ottawa Convention Centre - where the view out the glass walls includes the Chateau Laurier, the National War Memorial, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal. Thursday night's All-Star Fantasy Draft will be held across the Ottawa River at Hilton Lac Leamy.

"Having a lot of these attractions downtown will definitely provide a nice backdrop," said Misty Wade-Hovey, spokeswoman for Ottawa Tourism.

"I love the trooping of the colours, the pomp and circumstance and regal display of a league so dominant in Canadian culture,” said Ronsom Brown, a Toronto native who studies in the capital. 

Ronsom agreed that Ottawa’s character definitely plays into the vibe of the weekend.

“Everything here is more hockey than other parts of Canada I’ve been to,” he said.
 

From the halls of the convention centre, Senators fan David Lewis said it is exciting to see his city in the spotlight. 

"For years Ottawa has been this unknown place and now everywhere you look you see All-Star.” 

Publicity isn't the only benefit the All-Star Game brings to Canada's chilly capital. The signature event brings about $30 million of economic activity and approximately 7,000 hotel rooms have already been booked for the weekend. Another 3.5 million people are expected to watch the game on television.

Wade-Hovey said the local hospitality industry hopes it translates into more visitors for the city's others events.

"By having the NHL All-Star weekend as a lead-up to Winterlude we are hoping that will entice people to come and visit," she said. "It's trying to keep top of mind as a destination for views to explore."

Sens fans excited about All-Star lineup
 

Recent developments threatened to tarnish Ottawa's All-Star experience including a bout of warm weather that forced the canal to close temporarily and the announcement from NHL great Alex Ovechkin he would sit the game out.

Still, it hasn't seemed to temper the enthusiasm of those excited about the game.

"There’s still some pretty awesome people going to be here, like Daniel Alfredsson, Zdeno Chara, the Sedin twins,” said Kathryn Gillis, who was decked out in a Senators jersey.

"It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to have all the stars here in town and get a chance to experience it live,” said Brian Lewis, who was at Fan Fare with his brother David. 

The Sens-heavy lineup is playing well with the team's local fans. The game also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Senators’ return to the NHL.

"It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Shawn Whitty. “I don’t care as an Ottawa fan. I think we’ve got (Erik) Karlsson to make up for that. Spezza is pretty dazzling, when he connects." 

Leeder said the game itself is a great way to build the relationship with the Senators' fan base. This year the team saw a rise in its season's ticket sales - a trend Leeder attributes to people wanting to secure seats at the All-Star game.

"It really helps us build that relationship with our fan base. It's something you do for the fans and to really have a celebration of hockey here in the community."

Still the ice sculptures, autograph sessions and presence of NHL greats wasn't enough to get everyone in Ottawa excited.

"It's not a sport that really interests me," said Dalia Mai, who was shopping at a mall right next to the Fan Fare convention. "There's no value added to my life from it."