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The NHL, the city, the Senators and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group have spent months working on the details of the game which will celebrate the anniversary of the first NHL game played in Ottawa between the Senators and Canadiens on Dec. 19, 1917.

The game will be held two days earlier so it falls on a Sunday and only three weeks after the CFL’s Grey Cup is played at TD Place which will be expanded to 34,000 seats. Those stands will be left up so that the Senators and Habs can use the venue for the much-anticipated game.

It’s not known if there’s going to be an alumni game between the Senators and Habs as part of the weekend yet. It hasn’t been ruled out but Melnyk has also mentioned the possibility of holding a skills contest and so a determination on that front may be made at a later date.

Melnyk wanted the game held on Parliament Hill but officials from the government refused to give them permission to hold the it there because of the cost and logistics involved in trying to build a rink plus bring in the expensive temporary seating for 30,000-to-40,000 fans.

Photo by DENNIS LEUNG / OTTAWA CITIZEN

Once government officials decided they wouldn’t allow the game to go ahead on the Hill, Melnyk gave his blessing to the league to negotiate with the people from OSEG to have the game at Lansdowne Live because he knows how badly people in the community want to see this game.

“We’re all in (for the game),” Melnyk told reporters last month.

Melnyk is trying to ensure that this isn’t just another outdoor game held in a stadium and he wants to make the weekend special. The NHL handles all the logistics for the event and the Senators will be able to help use it as part of their package to sell season tickets.