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The National Lacrosse League (NLL) says it intends to keep the Ottawa Black Bears in “the Ottawa-Gatineau region” after ticket holders were told it won’t return to the Canadian Tire Centre for a third season.
The NLL’s two-line Wednesday evening statement implied the team has undergone an ownership change.
“The National Lacrosse League is aware that following its termination of GF Lacrosse LLC’s ownership of the Ottawa Black Bears, the Club informed select ticket holders that ‘the Black Bears will no longer be playing at Canadian Tire Centre,'” it said.
“The NLL’s intention is to keep the franchise in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and continue to grow the Black Bears’ loyal and passionate fan base.”
Among the missing details is who specifically terminated that ownership and who owns the team now, if anyone.
CBC News has asked the NLL and commissioner Brett Frood for comment, along with GF Sports and Entertainment and the NLL Players Association.
People who had made payment for the next season will receive an automatic refund within 10 business days, the message to ticket holders said, referring further inquiries to the league.
The Black Bears were a partnership between the NLL, owners GF Sports and Entertainment and the Ottawa Senators. It was formerly known as the New York Riptide, and moved to Ottawa in 2024.
The Senators have declined comment. The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which manages the TD Place arena at Lansdowne Park, told CBC News on Tuesday it didn’t have information about the Black Bears’s plans for next season.
NLL arenas range from NHL-size venues such as the Canadian Tire Centre and Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome to arenas in the 5,000- to 6,000-seat range in the Las Vegas area and Oshawa.
The only arenas of that size in eastern Ontario and western Quebec are Kingston’s Slush Puppie Place, Cornwall’s Ed Lumley Arena, TD Place and the Canadian Tire Centre.
LISTEN | Ticket holder reaction:
Ottawa Morning7:30The Ottawa Black Bears are without a den
Ottawa Black Bears season ticket holders like Kim Menard and Greg Stewart received an email Tuesday saying the team would not be returning to the Canadian Tire Centre next season.