News Article: Melnyk: 'not selling the team — period'

[ChelFan31]

Anyone know if Senschirp is correct in his prediction that Sens will be sold in the near future ? is he legitimate , does he have reliable sources .... or is this just a rumor.

Also anyone know if OWL from Reddit is correct in that Sens are already sold to Tomlinson Construction Family, Jeff Hunt, John Ruddy & Alfie ? ... he says he works somewhere with the Sens. Somehow he was a fly on the wall in Ottawa Senators Hockey Ops department .... he called out the Bobby Ryan trade a couple of weeks before it even happened... his intel into Ownership already being sold ? is that correct ? I feel like OWL might quietly be Sean Mccauley ... from Sens front office who knows. he was here when Sens traded for BRyan ???

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I don't remember anyone here calling the Ryan trade ahead of time.

I personally called the Ryan AND Brassard trades (not what we would give up though) but I certainly do not work for the Senators: I just picked players that made sense and they ended up happening.

As far as the Sens being already sold I doubt it. I think more reliable sources would have picked up on it.

Lots of wishful thinking more than anything I bet.

I know Bert, a poster here, claims a group keenly interested in acquiring the Senators has been buying Melnyk's debts in an effort to force his hand but sounds like something out of movie.

 

[Mingus Dew]

I don't remember anyone here calling the Ryan trade ahead of time.

I personally called the Ryan AND Brassard trades (not what we would give up though) but I certainly do not work for the Senators: I just picked players that made sense and they ended up happening.

As far as the Sens being already sold I doubt it. I think more reliable sources would have picked up on it.

Lots of wishful thinking more than anything I bet.

I know Bert, a poster here, claims a group keenly interested in acquiring the Senators has been buying Melnyk's debts in an effort to force his hand but sounds like something out of movie.

You can’t really buy up debt and then force the debtor to do anything - the original credit agreements still govern.

I guess they could be buying up liens on the team and then hoping for some kind of default.

 

[JD1]

This whole conversation is so draining. I'm at the point where any enthusiasm there is for watching the game is quickly fading away. Sports is supposed to be fun and engaging...it's not supposed to feel like we're being held at gunpoint to open our wallets.

I'd argue that this board is draining.

I talk hockey with my hockey buddies. I play on multiple teams. I talk hockey at my multiple client sites. I talk hockey with my regular friends. I talk hockey with my neighbours. Many of these people are Leaf and Hab fans.

in no group that I talk hockey with is the sentiment towards this team as negative as it is on this board AINEC. Team. players. GM. Coach. Owner. It's mostly negative here all the time.

Certainly it's got worse in the past month and worse again in the past 48 hours. Maybe some of those groups will he negative when I see them next but nothing like it is in here.

Interestingly there are a lot of folks saying I'll never spend money on tickets again. Many of them are in the GDTs every game so I'd suggest the money you won't be spending won't be missed because you are at home watching on TV posting in a message board and not spending anyway

my respect to the sth's which I am currently not but have been over the years. that comment is obviously not directed at you.

it's challenging to remain positive about your team when you come on a discussion board and it reads like this one. And so much of what gets posted here is rumour, innuendo or just blatantly false but is presented as fact and then repeated.

At this point I hope Melnyk does sell the team. However we need to be careful what we wish for because the man may be a bit crazy but he's done about as well as he can with expenses given his revenue. There certainly are not many people that will willingly prop up a business entity financially forever and given the direction of league revenues, this team either needs more revenue streams or an owner that's good with propping up a losing business venture.

 

[Sensung]

Yeah, go cut off your nose in spite of your face. Sounds like a plan. Just so you know you guys are not right. You guys are actually lousy fans. Go watch Karlsson sacrifice his leg and don't be so butt hurt over Melnyk.

Hey Superfan, let's explore your position for a minute.

1) Is there any set of circumstances or behavior by Melnyk that would cause you to stop buying tickets? If so, how close are you to the point where you say "enough is enough"? Can you please let us lousy fans in on the Gold Standard you apply so we can be Superfans too?

2) Does Melnyk owning the team absolve him from having to try and win over the fans and generate loyalty?

3) Do you think Melnyk's actions, both public and private, make it more or less likely for Karlsson to stay?

 

[JD1]

Doers anyone know if John Ruddy is still a partner with Melnyk in this?

It sure sounded as though both Daly and Bettman were caught by surprise that he seems to be backing away from Lebreton.

I've not read anything that suggest the rendezvous lebreton group fractured

 

[Do Make Say Think]

You can’t really buy up debt and then force the debtor to do anything - the original credit agreements still govern.

I guess they could be buying up liens on the team and then hoping for some kind of default.

Exactly.

Sounds like a movie plot but he posted about it in the business board.

 

[JD1]

Essentially public servants' salaries didn't match the increase in ticket prices.

Attendance started to creep down once the Sens stopped giving away freebies and those working for the Feds didn't get the increases they were used to.

this is a very good point. NHL salary escalation and therefore ticket prices have far outpaced income growth

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

IMO
Melnyk should sell the team . There are reportedly other parties interested. He is in financial stress concerning funding the team..late payments, $ owed to fired executives, scouts staying at home, meddling in contract extensions.... so much so that he is throwing the fan base under the bus and threatening them with moving the team. He has cut costs to the bare bone on the operational side.. Soon , if that day is not already here, he will further reduce the hockey side.. His coming out and being this belligerent with the people that he needs to win over on a public stage, on the heals of a terrible slump, the Turris meddling confusion, and the Karlsson extension discussions shows terrible judgement, and probably a heaping helping of desperation. He is a desperate man hanging on by a thread and blaming the people that he needs to make it work out. IMO we will lose more players that we want to keep and we will have very little luck in attracting players where there is a demand. He is pushing the fan base away. Melnyk is hurting this team.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I love how he was all alone, clapping like a moron, after the win.

 

[bert]

I don't remember anyone here calling the Ryan trade ahead of time.

I personally called the Ryan AND Brassard trades (not what we would give up though) but I certainly do not work for the Senators: I just picked players that made sense and they ended up happening.

As far as the Sens being already sold I doubt it. I think more reliable sources would have picked up on it.

Lots of wishful thinking more than anything I bet.

I know Bert, a poster here, claims a group keenly interested in acquiring the Senators has been buying Melnyk's debts in an effort to force his hand but sounds like something out of movie.

Well the person I heard was buying the debt was Ruddy. From what I understand its a group effort with the Greenbergs involved as well as Hunt, Alfie and the Desmarais family. Its a real estate deal more than its buying a sports franchise. All the value is in developing lebreton flats.

Anyone know if Senschirp is correct in his prediction that Sens will be sold in the near future ? is he legitimate , does he have reliable sources .... or is this just a rumor.

Also anyone know if OWL from Reddit is correct in that Sens are already sold to Tomlinson Construction Family, Jeff Hunt, John Ruddy & Alfie ? ... he says he works somewhere with the Sens. Somehow he was a fly on the wall in Ottawa Senators Hockey Ops department .... he called out the Bobby Ryan trade a couple of weeks before it even happened... his intel into Ownership already being sold ? is that correct ? I feel like OWL might quietly be Sean Mccauley ... from Sens front office who knows. he was here when Sens traded for BRyan ???

This is the information that I was given too. I think the backlash on Melnyk might be slowing the sale of the team down because of his child like ego.

 

[Fandlauer]

I've heard the same thing, although it is the first time I've heard Tomlison brought up.

It's really not that far fetched, especially with Melnyk's recent comments about him putting the brakes on Lebreton. Does this man strike people as the type of guy the NCC is going to want to get into bed with? The other group is making a powerplay and he's furious.

 

[HSF]

If the team was sold wouldn't that be common knowledge by now?

Also I agree that the boards here are more of an extreme bubble and the quality of posting has heavily gone down

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I doubt the team is sold but the league will be going after Melnyk to sell and step away. He's brought so much negative attention to their brand and marquee event. Only a matter of time before he's forced out by the BOG. If he doesn't want to play ball hire a group of lawyers to file suits involving his past shady dealings. "Scientology" him out of the league. He can't get this Lebreton deal done. Someone else needs to carry the mantle.

 

[Fandlauer]

If the team was sold wouldn't that be common knowledge by now?

Also I agree that the boards here are more of an extreme bubble and the quality of posting has heavily gone down

I doubt it's sold at this point, but there is a group who is doing everything they can to purchase it.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

https://www.quora.com/Is-owning-a-professional-sports-team-profitable

 

[HSF]

Isn't ruddy a partner with Melnyk on their bid for Lebreton?

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Melnyk will be the one costing you Karlsson, not the fans who rightfully won't give their hard earned money to that buffoon.

If Ottawa fans want to keep Karlsson as a member of the Senators........ the team must have a stable source of season ticket owners.......... so if you buy a season ticket for the next season, you'll be adding stability to the franchise, and be helping the team to sign an extension, to pay him what all you so called fans of this team, say he is owed.

So to get what you want, put aside your feelings about EM, as you can't do anything about the ownership of this team .......But you can help keep EK65 a Senator for the rest of his career.

It's your choice.

 

[Knave]

If Ottawa fans want to keep Karlsson as a member of the Senators........ the team must have a stable source of season ticket owners.......... so if you buy a season ticket for the next season, you'll be adding stability to the franchise, and be helping the team to sign an extension, to pay him what all you so called fans of this team, say he is owed.

So to get what you want, put aside your feelings about EM, as you can't do anything about the ownership of this team .......But you can help keep EK65 a Senator for the rest of his career.

It's your choice.

That's not how it works. We can keep going to games and buy merchandise which makes the franchise more stable but ultimately we don't make decisions to keep players, we don't build a relationship with Karlsson and convince him to stay.

I'm not going to be boycotting or anything but simply buying Sens stuff & tickets is not a guarantee of keeping Karlsson.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

If Ottawa fans want to keep Karlsson as a member of the Senators........ the team must have a stable source of season ticket owners.......... so if you buy a season ticket for the next season, you'll be adding stability to the franchise, and be helping the team to sign an extension, to pay him what all you so called fans of this team, say he is owed.

So to get what you want, put aside your feelings about EM, as you can't do anything about the ownership of this team .......But you can help keep EK65 a Senator for the rest of his career.

It's your choice.

Or we could speak with our wallets and tell this management and owner that we won't be trampled on as fan base like in Toronto. Until all of Boucher, Dorion and Melnyk are gone, they won't see a dime of my money.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Yes but Phoenix went live, government-wide, in April 2016.

It went "live" in mid Febuary 2016.

Federal government rolls out new pay system

 

[Sensung]

If Ottawa fans want to keep Karlsson as a member of the Senators........ the team must have a stable source of season ticket owners.......... so if you buy a season ticket for the next season, you'll be adding stability to the franchise, and be helping the team to sign an extension, to pay him what all you so called fans of this team, say he is owed.

So to get what you want, put aside your feelings about EM, as you can't do anything about the ownership of this team .......But you can help keep EK65 a Senator for the rest of his career.

It's your choice.

Respectfully disagree.

Boycotting the team and forcing Eugene to sell is an option as well and one where I don't have to give my hard earned money to a fool.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

That's not how it works. We can keep going to games and buy merchandise which makes the franchise more stable but ultimately we don't make decisions to keep players, we don't build a relationship with Karlsson and convince him to stay.

I'm not going to be boycotting or anything but simply buying Sens stuff & tickets is not a guarantee of keeping Karlsson.

I don't buy the myth, that a lot of people in Ottawa seem to want to believe, that the Owner sits in on contract negotiations, and or sets limitations for his GM to follow.
What GM would sign up for a position that has one hand tied behind his back???

If attendance is up in the mid nineties percentage average, season in ans season out, then there is no reason there would be a problem to keep EK a Senator.

Yes, the GM runs a negotiated contract past the owner, who signs the cheques, to have him give the OK, EM has said as much on numerous occasions. I would then assume if they were unable to sign him, it is because of long term financial reasons of which attendance is a major part of.

 

[ChelFan31]

Well the person I heard was buying the debt was Ruddy. From what I understand its a group effort with the Greenbergs involved as well as Hunt, Alfie and the Desmarais family. Its a real estate deal more than its buying a sports franchise. All the value is in developing lebreton flats.



This is the information that I was given too. I think the backlash on Melnyk might be slowing the sale of the team down because of his child like ego.

How confident are you in OWL from Reddit ? Because from what I remember he called the Bobby Ryan trade and the pieces involved maybe like at least 1 week before it even went down... idk I feel like he's pretty plugged deep deep inside the Senators Front Office...

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Or we could speak with our wallets and tell this management and owner that we won't be trampled on as fan base like in Toronto. Until all of Boucher, Dorion and Melnyk are gone, they won't see a dime of my money.

So you're comparing Toronto, where one third of the population of Canada in within a 60 minute drive of the ACC, and has had a string of sellouts for as long as anyone posting on this thread has been alive ............. with Ottawa, that has a sixth of the population, hardy any corporate headquarters, and the largest employer in the Region, the Federal Government, that cannot buy tickets................... yeah, that's not really a fair comparison, is it?