Senators, Maple Leafs In "Lockdown" After Ottawa Shootings [Update]

Update: Tonight's game between the Leafs and Senators has been postponed.

A confused and scary situation in Ottawa today, where at least one shooter opened fire on a soldier at Canada's National War Memorial, inside Parliament, and reportedly at a nearby mall attached to the Maple Leafs' hotel. The Leafs are in town to play the Senators tonight, and the NHL is currently weighing whether to go ahead with the game or postpone it.

In a brief statement, the NHL said,

We are monitoring the situation in Ottawa and have been in touch with both clubs. As in all cases regarding potential game postponements, we will follow the lead of the local authorities.

As of 12:45 p.m., deputy commissioner Bill Daly said no decision has been made.

The Canadian Tire Center itself is in the city's suburbs, but with much of the Parliament Hill area shut down, it may come down to whether the city wants people on the roads ahead of the game's scheduled 7 p.m. start time.

The Leafs are trapped in their hotel, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, down the block from the War Memorial and the Houses of Parliament, and connected to the Rideau Center, reportedly the site of a third shooting. Play-by-play guy Joe Bowen has been tweeting from his room.

According to @Hope_Smoke, Bowen said on the radio that Leafs players and staff have been directed to stay in their rooms.

@Hope_Smoke has also been transcribing a radio interview with Senators president Cyril Leeder, who says the Sens were at the arena for practice when they received word to sit tight.

In the last year, the NHL has postponed games due to snow and a medical emergency, but the closest parallel would be when the league decided to call off the Senators-Bruins game after the Boston Marathon bombings. In that case, the suspects were still unidentified, and the NHL waited until two hours before the game to officially cancel it. We presume the NHL is waiting for some more clarity on this situation, and are likely willing to wait before making the call.