By Tyler Penney [1]
BELLEVILLE – The Belleville Senators [2] have yet to play a game in the city, but the excitement from the community is already starting to build, according to members of the local fan club.
The Belleville Senators fan club [3] arranged a bus trip to watch the city’s future Senators team take on the Toronto Marlies [4] at the Air Canada Centre [5] on Feb. 20. The team is located in Binghamton, N.Y., until the end of the season.
“Planing this bus trip has been a very easy go,” said Gina Hannah, Vice Chair of the Belleville Senators fan club. “At the moment we have almost filled the first bus, and we have two going to the game.”
Even though the American Hockey League [6] Senators haven’t played a game in the city, the group wanted to show their support for their future players.
“The club thought it would be a great opportunity to be able to gather a lot of fans, head down the road and show our support and love they’re going to be getting when they come to Belleville,” Hannah added.
With the Belleville Senators being the Ottawa Senators [7] AHL affiliate, the community is one step closer to having professional hockey in the city.
“I am a huge Ottawa Senators fan, so for me having to cheer for the Senators in our hometown is really exciting,” said Jason Easton, Chair of the Senators Facebook club. “I think it’s more exciting because we’re one step closer to professional hockey, which is huge for a town like Belleville.”
“I think there is a lot of huge support and people are really excited for the Sens,” said Easton.
“Everyone is very excited to receive our new team as we’re in year two of having no hockey in the city,” Hannah added.
Having no hockey in the city has been tough for some, missing out on some experiences, and Easton commented on the topic.
“I miss taking my kids to the games and miss how the players were there to support minor hockey to get kids involved in their games,” he said.
Despite the city didn’t get an Ontario Hockey League [8] team back, there has been an outpouring of support for the AHL Senators.
“We’ve been missing our hockey. A lot of people have committed to the AHL Sens by way of putting deposits down for season tickets,” said Hannah. “I think the city will get behind them and rally behind the team.”
For the Senators to thrive in the city, they need the support from the community as a whole.
“I encourage everyone to come out and support the team, because when you support the team you support the community,” said Easton. “We need to prove to the OHL that they were wrong to ever leave us and prove to the AHL that they made a fantastic decision in coming here.”
The Yardmen Arena is currently under renovations to accommodate the Belleville Senators.
Renovations to the Yardmen started on Dec. 5 and is currently in full swing. The Yardmen is not open to media just yet, though. “We are planning a tour for all media in the next week or so,” said Belleville Senators vice-president Roger Lajoie.