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OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators’ home arena was a bit too quiet, as it often is for regular-season games not involving the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens. The opponents last Tuesday night were the Detroit Red Wings, and most of the phlegmatic Senators crowd at Canadian Tire Centre sat and watched in hushed contemplation.
But not in Section 319 in the upper deck, where red-and-black-clad fans stood, beating on drums and raising a din all night. “Oh, when the Sens! Go marching in!” they sang again and again, between chants of “This is our house!” When Ottawa scored, the fans, mostly young men, jumped around with such reckless joy that they almost tumbled from their rows.
The raucous proceedings, taking place under the watchful gaze of club employees, are believed to be the first team-supported attempt to foster the atmosphere of an avid soccer crowd in the N.H.L. If it catches on, the Senators’ arena will feel less like a library.
“We’re not the loudest building in the league, and we’d like it to be a little louder,” said Cyril Leeder, the Senators’ president, explaining the initiative to enliven the mood and build attendance in one of the N.H.L.’s smallest markets.
The team has begun a 10-game experiment with Red Scarf Union, a fan group modeled after those popular in English soccer. For the designated games, the 295 seats in Section 319 are being sold through Red Scarf Union’s Facebook and Twitter pages or a special Senators email address, at discounts of 50 percent or more.
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