Ottawa is home to world junior hockey this winter, and more

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What better place to enjoy a Canadian holiday tradition than Canada’s capital city?

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The world junior hockey championship is scheduled to be played in Ottawa from Dec. 26, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025. Thanks to wall-to-wall coverage on TSN, the event’s timing during the holiday season, and strong performances (usually) by the Canadian team, the event has become a must-see event for Canadians, whether on television or live. Many of the young male players go on to stellar NHL careers.

And with Ottawa a relatively easy location for much of eastern Canada’s population to reach, you will want to plan ahead to arrange tickets, accommodations, and even off-day activities.

My wife Ruth and I checked out the rinks and the region recently, and here’s the scouting report:

MAIN ARENA

The Canadian Tire Centre, home to the modern version of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the NLL’s Ottawa Black Bears, will be used for Group A games (United States, Finland, Canada, Latvia and Germany), two quarterfinals, both semifinals, the bronze-medal game, and the gold-medal game.

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The arena has a capacity of 18,652 for hockey, but since it’s Canada’s group, those tickets will sell quickly. A full house, plus national pride, often leads to a charged atmosphere, adding to the game experience.

Keep in mind that the CTC is in the Kanata neighbourhood, a significant drive west of downtown. Pack your patience for driving into and out of the CTC’s parking lots.

As with most NHL arenas, you get what you pay for.

In the lowest of the three levels, there are plenty of bars and restaurants for a pre-game meal or beverage, such as Bert’s (with a sports bar vibe) and Club CIBC (geared more toward fine dining). The Hard Rock Club features memorabilia from Canadian musicians Justin Bieber, Bryan Adams, and Ottawa’s own Alanis Morissette.

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(Fun fact: Morissette performed O Canada prior to the game at which the Senators returned to the NHL on Oct. 8, 1992.)

More basic food and beverage options are available in the upper levels.

If your seats are at the top of the 300 level, it’s still a good view of the action, plus the large videoboards above centre ice will help you catch up on anything you might have missed.

Nods to the Senators’ history, both the original team and the current one, are spread throughout the building. Yes, the Senators have won the Stanley Cup, but you have to go back to 1923 for the original team’s final title.

SECONDARY ARENA

The Arena at TD Place, normally home to the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge, and basketball’s Ottawa Blackjacks, will be used for the Group B games (Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Kazakhstan), two quarterfinals, and relegation games.

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The arena has a capacity of nearly 9,000 for hockey.

The seating area is defined by the arena’s location underneath the north stands of TD Place, home of the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks and pro soccer teams Atletico Ottawa and Ottawa Rapid FC. Sections 1-11, below the lowest part of the north stands, are only nine to 11 rows deep, and don’t offer a view of the large videoboard positioned above them. (They do offer easier access to some of the food and beverage options, though.) The last-row seats in the other sections aren’t too far away from the action.

There are plenty of reminders that you are in the home of the 67’s — referred to as the Barber Poles by some because of their distinctive uniform — including an actual barber pole by Section 3.

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There is some parking underneath the arena. If you choose to drive, plan ahead and purchase parking when you get your game tickets.

At the PWHL game we attended, a full house of boisterous supporters of both teams, plus a home-team win, made for a fun afternoon.

The rink is part of an area now known as Lansdowne Live, home to buildings old (the Aberdeen Pavilion, an exhibition hall built in 1898 which is a National Historic Site) and new (a decade-old shopping and entertainment district).

We were able to have a post-game meal at Joey Lansdowne (across from the arena), where we were surprised by complimentary champagne as we entered. We enjoyed a quality meal of sushi, California chicken, and Korean fried cauliflower, with a dessert of Italian donuts.

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OFF-DAY ACTIVITIES

The National Capital Region (Ottawa, Gatineau, and surrounding areas) is packed with museums, historic sites, and other things to see and do.

During our Ottawa visit, Ruth and I got to visit the Royal Canadian Mint’s Ottawa facility for a 45-minute tour of the century-old building. Most of the country’s circulation coins are created in Winnipeg now, but the Ottawa facility still is used to produce gold, silver, investment and collector coins, plus medals and medallions, such as the medals awarded at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Perhaps the most amazing thing that our group of 16 learned was that in 2007 the Mint made a limited number of 100kg gold coins, about 53 cm in diameter and 99.999% pure, with a face value of $1 million.

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Iman, our guide, revealed that the real value of each coin is about $8.5 million — and that one of them is used as a coffee table in Dubai.

We also learned that the direction that each monarch faces on our coins alternates. Queen Elizabeth was shown looking to the right, and King Charles is looking to the left.

A short walk from the Mint is the National Gallery of Canada, home of examples of indigenous and Canadian art. Be sure to visit the Rideau Chapel, a place of worship at a 19th-century convent rebuilt, brick by brick, inside the gallery (with a modern audio system piping in religious songs and chants appropriate to the time period).

As you go through the National Gallery, be alert. You might see artwork on the ceilings as well as the walls!

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Other potential places to visit on a hockey off-day include the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian War Museum, and the Bank of Canada Museum. Reminder: If you are visiting Ottawa during the world juniors, check with each venue beforehand for their holiday hours.

If you want to practice your own skating skills, a visit to the Rideau Canal Skateway, when the winter weather cooperates, provides an opportunity to get some classic Canadian exercise (for free!). It’s the world’s longest skating rink, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An off-day restaurant option, halfway between downtown Ottawa and Kanata, is the Iris St. location of the Big Rig Brewery’s restaurant, home of large portions of comfort food and craft beer.

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OTTAWA’S A SPORTS TOWN

Even if you are not planning to attend the world juniors, a two-game Ottawa weekend is a great getaway with all of the local sports teams mentioned above, plus U Sports competitions involving athletes representing Ottawa and Carleton universities.

The highlight of the university sports calendar is the annual “Panda” football game between Ottawa and Carleton, with the 2024 version scheduled for Oct. 6.

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

Downtown Ottawa has a number of hotels near the Parliament buildings and the ByWard Market.

We were fortunate to spend a night at historic The Lord Elgin Hotel, which opened in 1941 with William Lyon Mackenzie King, the prime minister at the time, as its first guest. From our sixth-floor room, we were able to look north to see the National War Memorial and National Arts Centre, and east to see Confederation Park and Ottawa City Hall.

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The Lord Elgin is a short walk from the Rideau Canal, and in a nod to the skateway mentioned above, our room had a spot in the closet where guests can store their boots and skates.

If your plans are specifically for the Group A games in Kanata, there are some hotel options near the Canadian Tire Centre, such as Wingate by Wyndham Kanata West Ottawa. From our room, we could see the Canadian Tire Centre, and the immense Tanger Outlets complex on the other side of Campeau Drive.

GETTING THERE

From the Toronto area, reaching Ottawa by car involves taking Hwys. 401, 416 and 417. Bus and train service are also available. Ottawa International Airport (YOW) — served by flights from Pearson and Billy Bishop airports — is a 15-minute drive from TD Place Arena and a half-hour drive from Canadian Tire Centre.

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