The Ottawa Citizen details how former Senators owner Rod Bryden doesn't foresee a day when Ottawa hockey fans line up, lemming-like, to watch the home team regardless of its quality. You know, as Maple Leaf Nation has done, historically.
"I think this market is not yet like Toronto, and please, God, it won't get like that," said Bryden in an interview. "But I don't think the fans will come notwithstanding a team that doesn't know what it's doing.
"I think a persistently bad team would have lots of trouble here."
Bryden gives Ottawa fans their due for being extremely knowledgeable, and willing to accept a brief setback during a rebuilding program. Fans were pleasantly surprised that the Senators reached the postseason in 2011-12 and probably should have handled the first place-New York Rangers in the playoffs, after taking a 3-2 series lead. The Senators missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2011, ending a streak from 1997 onward.
"They were pretty supportive of the need to make some changes and possibly miss the playoffs," said Bryden, inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday, along with franchise founders Bruce Firestone, Cyril Leeder and Randy Sexton.
"If that were to go on for a few years though, I think you'd see a fairly quick erosion of attendance."
"The market's just not big enough to have a significant share of your fan base feeling dissatisfied with management and the way the team is performing," Bryden said.
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