Ottawa Senators team president and CEO Cyril Leader has apologized to fans after the team mascot, Spartacat, was photographed wearing a split jersey with both Senators and Quebec Nordiques colours on Monday.
Sens Fans. For clarity
— Cyril Leeder (@cyleeder) January 28, 2025
1. The team is not moving. Period. (other than hopefully downtown)
2. Putting our beloved Sparty in a Sens/Nords jersey was wrong. Today was a good reminder that our logo is sacred. As CEO, I own this one
Now, hopefully we can all focus on WASH #GSG
The uproar comes in the wake of team owner Michael Andlauer announcing that the Senators would play two preseason games in Quebec City, while also stating that he would like the team to play regular season games there in the future.
“We’ll start with the two preseason games and we’ll go from there," said Andlauer. “For me, that’s the vision. If we can play in Sweden, we can play in Quebec.”
Leeder took to social media to offer his apology, and clarified that the team would not be moving out of Ottawa following Andlauer’s comments.
The Senators have been unable to come to an agreement to build a new arena in the LeBreton Flats near downtown Ottawa, but Andlauer has stated that he “still believes” in the Ottawa-Gatineau area despite the negotiations being delayed.
"I would've thought that we would've had an agreement done today," -- Michael Andlauer, when asked about the ongoing saga between the Sens and the NCC for a new arena at LeBreton. Still optimistic a deal gets done.
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) January 27, 2025
Andlauer was part of a group that won a bid for the franchise in June 2023 following the death of former owner Eugene Melnyk.
Quebec City was the home of the Quebec Nordiques from 1972-95 before the franchise relocated to Colorado and became the Avalanche.
