Pro sports teams primed for success in Ottawa in 2023
Playoffs could be in the cards for multiple Ottawa franchises
Next year could bring Hollywood to Ottawa and sports fans in the capital hope that leads to fairy-tale endings for their favourite teams' seasons.
For the Ottawa Senators in particular, fans are desperate for a turnaround after several years of challenging results and difficult storylines.
The beginning of this season brought renewed hope, but injuries and disappointment have continued in the first few months of the NHL calendar. Cue Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who has made it no secret he plans to become a minority owner of the team when it is sold in 2023.
Team owner Eugene Melnyk died last spring, leaving many unanswered questions about the future of the franchise. His daughters took control and decided to sell, garnering a lot of interest.
On the ice, the Senators have an uphill battle to make the playoffs. They will get some help after injuries took top players out of the lineup, but ownership questions will likely overshadow box scores as the bidding heats up among billionaires.
Lansdowne letdown, and leaps for joy
The struggle has also continued across town at TD Place, as the Ottawa Redblacks ended this past season in the Canadian Football League basement.
There is hope for 2023 with new head coach Bob Dyce, who has hired well-regarded staff members to bring new life to pro football in Ottawa.
Fans are anxious to see the team return to competing for a Grey Cup, which was a constant after the Redblacks came to town — including a championship in 2016.
The team that shares the field at TD Place, Atletico Ottawa, might be able to share some of its blueprint after a rough inaugural season on the pitch in 2021.
The team won the Canadian Premier League regular season in 2022 finishing first overall, but lost the championship final. Still, the steep improvement brought excitement for local soccer fans, which they hope will spill over into 2023.
With the retirement of fan favourite Drew Beckie, next year will also bring in a new era for Ottawa pro soccer.
Success also continued for a Lansdowne Park neighbour that rarely has a down year: the Ottawa 67's.
The junior hockey team finishes 2022 as the best team in the Ontario Hockey League, and among the 10 best teams in Canada. A playoff run is in the cards once again this spring at TD Place arena.
The team that shares the arena with the 67's, the Ottawa Blackjacks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, wants to see its own playoff run lead to a championship in 2023.
The young franchise will look to get over the hump and reach the finals for the first time ever — it's lost in the semi-finals in each of its first two seasons.
Continuity usually helps, and the franchise gets that with the return of Javohn Shepherd as general manager and James Derouin as head coach.
Summer vibes
Even though Ottawa's baseball stadium is currently covered in heaps of snow, one can't forget the newest local baseball team, the Ottawa Titans.
The Titans will look to follow the path of the local soccer team when they enter their second season this spring. The Titans lost in the divisional round of the independent Frontier League in 2022, after its inaugural season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether it's on the ice, court or field, 2023 brings the potential for positive vibes for each professional sports team in the nation's capital — something fans haven't seen for quite some time.
Looking beyond, one also can't forget a new professional women's soccer team could start hitting the pitch in Ottawa within the next few years.
