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

[Gil Gunderson]

It's a quandary isn't it?

If Ottawa doesn't support the team, the team won't be able to afford to re-sign Karlsson & maybe other good players & have to trade them for younger cheaper players (the Expos of the NHL). If he trades Karlsson, Ottawa won't support him further either & as you said he seems to have some significant money shortages already.

What to do, what to do? I just don't see not supporting the team with the hopes that he sells the team to good owners who will keep the team here as potentially possible with this guy but I still hold out hope for it. Like a jaded lover he could be very unpredictable as to what he decides to do & it could get very ugly. Better to make peace with it, than lose the team IMO unless people don't care any more. I know some that have stopped supporting the team & won't go any more because of the owner. However, people can come around over time but once the team is gone, it could be gone forever.

I honestly have doubts that Melnyk would be ok spending 12+ million on a single player whether the attendance is good or not. He's already planted the seeds of doubt in the fanbase with the Alfie and Turris situations, his interview about not wanting to pay coaches much money, and his genius move on Friday night. The ball is in his court now as the head of the franchise to reverse this and put the fans' trust back in him.

If history is any indication, he'll completely fumble this.

 

[HSF]

Do you guys really think Melnyk will be forced to sell the team due to negative backlash? I feel like it would have to get a lot worse for us to even reach that point...we are talking about millions of dollars

Also we have had people on the boards say a sale is close or completed for a few months now but there seems to be nothing from legit insiders. If melnyk was actually selling wouldnt it be more public to garner potential buyers interest

Addionally people are saying the other group who wants to buy the Sens consist of Ruddy who from a quick google search (easy to find info) is part of the Melnyk bid for Lebreton

 

[HSF]

I honestly have doubts that Melnyk would be ok spending 12+ million on a single player whether the attendance is good or not. He's already planted the seeds of doubt in the fanbase. The ball is in his court now as the head of the franchise.

If history is any indication, he'll completely fumble this.

Disagree... he will pay karlsson. He paid Heatley, Spezza Ryan a ton of money to keep them around. Even karlsson on his current contract

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Overheard at the Outdoor Game when the Prime Minister and Commisonaire:

Trudeau: So when you getting my boys Guy and Alain this team?
Bettman: After this weekend Euge made it a whole easier.
Trudeau: They’re my dudes. I promised them a team.
Bettmn: I know. But your going to have to wear some more NHL swag again.
Trudeau: The socks?
Bettman: We have a new NHL jock we want to advertise.
Trudeau: Fine, but next time I see you I want an ownership win for my boys, they’ve waited long enough.
Bettman: I’m working on it. They’ll need to put up $750 million.
Trudeau: Guy’s going to have to hire more clowns!
Trudeau and Bettman together: Roars of evil laughter.

This seems made up. I'm not sure the Prime Minister would advertise an NHL Jock.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

How the mighty have fallen. Melnyk was once a savior in this city. He rode in with his white horse and snatched out team back from the brink of disaster. Her invested his money, built it up to be a monolithic force, unopposed in the East; a complete powerhouse bringing us year after year of quality playoff hockey. Fans would praise his name, he was like a living god. Now people turn their back on him. He is a pariah. People boo him in the streets and spit on his name. This is the thanks he gets for sacrificing his health and finances to bring us quality hockey for years. People are so fickle. No matter how great you have once been in your life, no matter how much people once loved you, it can all be thrown away and forgotten in an instant. Remember what happened to Melnyk can easily happen to you. Can you really trust your fiends and family and coworkers? Will they just as soon cast you out, like Sens fans have done with Melnyk? Its a sad period for humanity.

Wait. How did Melnyk sacrifice his health for Ottawa. I slept through that one. Did he have to sacrifice many bottles of Jamieson's so we could enjoy NHL hockey?

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Everybody loves a winner & if they make it into the playoffs that would create interest again. .

I seem to remember the Senators going pretty deep in last springs playoffs, being one of the last three teams playing, before they lost in double overtime, in game seven, of the Eastern Conference finals ................ one goal away from the Stanley Cup Finals.


Did this create interest?? It sure did.
Did this create an uptick in season ticket purchases? Apparently not.
Why not? I could list a number of the familiar reasons, that we all know why people say they don't attend any, or more games ............ but the Phoenix Pay system went live on Feb. 24, 2016 and problems started right away, with the largest employer in the Ottawa/Gatineau region not being able to pay, with regularity, it's employees.

I suspect this became a new and bigger problem, and contributed to unsold playoff tickets, and a presumed increase in ticket sales for this season.... based on the playoff run.



How the Phoenix pay system rose and fell

 

[HSF]

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 ???

It seems like if the sens were actually sold or even close to it that it would have been picked up by mainstream insiders. Also Ruddy was working with Melnyk on Lebreton do not sure if something happened there

 

[Sensung]

Ottawa is an NHL market far superior to many current or potential markets.

If Melnyk does manage to move the team, someone else will put one in the Lebreton development.

To pretend otherwise is foolishness.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

I honestly have doubts that Melnyk would be ok spending 12+ million on a single player whether the attendance is good or not. He's already planted the seeds of doubt in the fanbase with the Alfie and Turris situations, his interview about not wanting to pay coaches much money, and his genius move on Friday night. The ball is in his court now as the head of the franchise to reverse this and put the fans' trust back in him.

If history is any indication, he'll completely fumble this.

You're focusing on one player, and one contract.
I doubt Melnyk does, I suspect he sees the bigger picture, the entire payroll. What difference does it make, to him, what one player is making in relationship to the sum total of the payroll.

What difference is there if the payroll was a total of 68 million, and Karlsson was making 10 million, and Chabot was making 3 million vs Karlsson making 12 million, and Chabot was making 1 million????

It makes no never mind in the bigger picture, what one player makes to Melnyk, he sets a budget, and asks the GM to work within that budget ........ just as any business person does.



Now ask yourself, would you be happy, as a Senator fan, in three years from now (let's say) and Karlsson is a Senator, making 13 Million, and other players were moved, or took "home town discounts".......... but the team was a "middle of the pack" team that looked like it may make the playoffs, but be out in the first round, for the foreseeable future ...................... or would you be happy with a better team, without Karlsson, with the players acquired and or being paid with the 13 million Karlsson would have gotten, and the team was an upper tier team, and serious contender for the Cup?



My point is paying Karlsson "what he worth" should not be the goal of management and the fans, it's having the best team possible, and an increased chance at winning a Cup.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Do you guys really think Melnyk will be forced to sell the team due to negative backlash? I feel like it would have to get a lot worse for us to even reach that point...we are talking about millions of dollars

Also we have had people on the boards say a sale is close or completed for a few months now but there seems to be nothing from legit insiders. If melnyk was actually selling wouldnt it be more public to garner potential buyers interest

Addionally people are saying the other group who wants to buy the Sens consist of Ruddy who from a quick google search (easy to find info) is part of the Melnyk bid for Lebreton

Melnyk isn't going to be forced to sell the team because of some bad PR. He's going to have to sell the team because his creditors are knocking on the door wondering where their money is. He's already on record about refinancing the team's debt and that's how he figures the rumours started. If he can't afford to pay his debts off like he can't pay his staff or players, he will be forced to sell. The negative PR he's brought to the league is just icing on the cake for Bettman and the BOG.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

You're focusing on one player, and one contract.
I doubt Melnyk does, I suspect he sees the bigger picture, the entire payroll. What difference does it make, to him, what one player is making in relationship to the sum total of the payroll.

What difference is there if the payroll was a total of 68 million, and Karlsson was making 10 million, and Chabot was making 3 million vs Karlsson making 12 million, and Chabot was making 1 million????

It makes no never mind in the bigger picture, what one player makes to Melnyk, he sets a budget, and asks the GM to work within that budget ........ just as any business person does.



Now ask yourself, would you be happy, as a Senator fan, in three years from now (let's say) and Karlsson is a Senator, making 13 Million, and other players were moved, or took "home town discounts".......... but the team was a "middle of the pack" team that looked like it may make the playoffs, but be out in the first round, for the foreseeable future ...................... or would you be happy with a better team, without Karlsson, with the players acquired and or being paid with the 13 million Karlsson would have gotten, and the team was an upper tier team, and serious contender for the Cup?



My point is paying Karlsson "what he worth" should not be the goal of management and the fans, it's having the best team possible, and an increased chance at winning a Cup.

It's pretty much obvious at this point that he meddles in decisions. I find it really hard to believe that he gives Dorion a budget and lets him sign his own contracts, despite whatever Dorion says to cover his boss' ass.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Melnyk isn't going to be forced to sell the team because of some bad PR. He's going to have to sell the team because his creditors are knocking on the door wondering where their money is. He's already on record about refinancing the team's debt and that's how he figures the rumours started. If he can't afford to pay his debts off like he can't pay his staff or players, he will be forced to sell. The negative PR he's brought to the league is just icing on the cake for Bettman and the BOG.

Restructuring a businesses finances is a routine thing done every few years.

When the term of your mortgage is up, and you go in to renew your remaining debt, and decide on interest rate and term, does that mean you're in difficulty, and can't afford to pay your mortgage?



Again, much ado about nothing.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

It's pretty much obvious at this point that he meddles in decisions. I find it really hard to believe that he gives Dorion a budget and lets him sign his own contracts, despite whatever Dorion says to cover his boss' ass.

How is it obvious (that he meddles) ???

Do you have proof, or just more of your totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation????

Both the owner, and all the GMs that he has had to run the Senators have stated that the owner does not have a role in running the team.

Who should we believe, you a hockey boards poster that offers no proof, or the words of NHL GMs, and the owner?



Again, totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation on your part.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

How is it obvious (that he meddles) ???

Do you have proof, or just more of your totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation????

Both the owner, and all the GMs that he has had to run the Senators have stated that the owner does not have a role in running the team.

Who should we believe, you a hockey boards poster that offers no proof, or the words of NHL GMs, and the owner?



Again, totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation on your part.

The Turris situation speaks for itself.

As for Alfie, I've heard from someone close to the team what the situation was and it pretty much confirmed the rumors we've been hearing the last 4 years. I obviously don't have a link, but the usual suspect was involved.

I'm obviously not the best source but the GM's words shouldn't be taken with more than a grain of salt either. You know that part of his job includes PR duties, right? He's not going to outright put the owner on the spot, regardless of what reality is.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

How is it obvious (that he meddles) ???

Do you have proof, or just more of your totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation????

Both the owner, and all the GMs that he has had to run the Senators have stated that the owner does not have a role in running the team.

Who should we believe, you a hockey boards poster that offers no proof, or the words of NHL GMs, and the owner?



Again, totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation on your part.

Literally from the article being discussed. Melnyk's own words:

Melnyk said he pays Dorion “big bucks” so that he can manage hockey operations.
“He makes the decisions and only has to get a sign-off from me when it involves the movement of a A or B player — coming in or going out,” Melnyk said.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Wait. How did Melnyk sacrifice his health for Ottawa. I slept through that one. Did he have to sacrifice many bottles of Jamieson's so we could enjoy NHL hockey?

"I saved your team and all i got was this lousy liver!"

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

"I saved your team and all i got was this lousy liver!"

And an asset that quadrupled in value.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

It comes down to this IMO:

Melnyk portrays himself as a buffoon, resulting in no trust anymore between the fanbase and himself. A couple times saying a couple of outlandish things early on its oh he's just that drunk eccentric billioniare, gotta be crazy to make all those billions! The longer he has hung around and the more he has opened his mouth over the years the fanbase is starting to be like...holy crap could this man even use an oven properly let alone run a hockey team to it's fullest potential?

Then you look at things like:
- His failed female viagra
-Him committing securities exchange fraud
- His lawsuit over the nasal spray
-His not paying employees at Berts Bar Barbados
- The grumblings of low staff numbers at the CTC
-A poster here who is almost begging for someone to call him so he can order season tickets and no one will contact him
- The Sens marketing being at an all time low
- The 25th anniversary logo debacle
- The Alfie rumors as to why he didn't sign
-Him supporting a sexual assaulter
-Him embarrassing his fanbase with the forensic investigation talk/any other interview he does

He has created this perception of himself that he's a moron, a liar, and a cheap tightwad, whether it is true or not it's all on HIM. Is anyone really surprised that his relationship with this fan base is dead right now?

 

[HSF]

Literally from the article being discussed. Melnyk's own words:

I am pretty sure thats standard ie owners approving big salary movement

 

[Micklebot]

Melnyk isn't going to be forced to sell the team because of some bad PR. He's going to have to sell the team because his creditors are knocking on the door wondering where their money is. He's already on record about refinancing the team's debt and that's how he figures the rumours started. If he can't afford to pay his debts off like he can't pay his staff or players, he will be forced to sell. The negative PR he's brought to the league is just icing on the cake for Bettman and the BOG.

Back in 2013, there was a lot of media about the syndicate of 8 banks that held the loan for the Sens was no longer interested in financing sports teams forcing Melnyk to seek out an alternate arrangement. At that time, it was reported that he signed a 4 year deal with 2 American banks. Seems to me far more likely that the financing tour was the result of that 4 year term ending.

Now, I have my issues with Melnyk, the more he talks, the more he puts his foot in his mouth. He bought a franchise for ~90 mil, and it's value has quadrupled, but he's complaining about losing money, a claim that could be true, but doesn't align with what Forbes suggests, at least not last year. I tried looking up previous years of Forbes data, and was able to find 2 years where they claim his operating income was in the negative, for whatever that's worth, they certainly don't seem to buy into his 2013 claim that he'd lost 94 mil on the team, as they claimed 2009 was the first year he'd dipped into the negatives, and was back to profiting 2 seasons later.

Now, I see a lot of people talking about how having a winning team should be enough to sell tickets; here's my take on that. Ticket sales are driven by optimism, not performance. Now, performance certainly affects optimism, but it's not a linear relationship. A team that goes on what is perceived as a Cinderella run isn't going to get a huge boost in ticket sales if fans don't think it's likely to repeat. Almost everyone during the playoff run was excited, but cautiously optimistic. Almost everyone saw the team as a bubble team coming into the year, a good chance of taking a divisional spot, but mainly because the division was weak. Confidence was down because Karlsson was expected to miss time, Methot was gone ect.

Winning may sell some tickets, but being expected to win is what really drives sales. You can't be expected to win when fans think you lost your top pair D because you didn't want to pay him. When you traded away a young Center and threw in a pick to save cash. When you cut costs by running with a skeleton crew management, when you pass on a blue chip coaching candidate and perception is that it was his price tag (which turned out to be very reasonable at least for the Wild) that scared the team away.

The perception, for better or for worse, is that this team won't spend what's needed to make them consistently competitive or a contender. Yes, we're spending ~68 mil when you take away MacArthur who's paid by insurance, but we appear to be cutting corners everywhere else to make that happen. That's not how you drive optimism. That's not how you sell tickets, at least not imo.

 

[BatherSeason]

Now ask yourself, would you be happy, as a Senator fan, in three years from now (let's say) and Karlsson is a Senator, making 13 Million, and other players were moved, or took "home town discounts".......... but the team was a "middle of the pack" team that looked like it may make the playoffs, but be out in the first round, for the foreseeable future ...................... or would you be happy with a better team, without Karlsson, with the players acquired and or being paid with the 13 million Karlsson would have gotten, and the team was an upper tier team, and serious contender for the Cup?

Now try this again and replace "Karlsson" with McDavid or Crosby and Senators with Oilers or Pens. Karlsson is in the same company as those two. How do you think either of those fanbases would react if their owners were threatening to move those players?

 

[Gil Gunderson]

It comes down to this IMO:

Melnyk portrays himself as a buffoon, resulting in no trust anymore between the fanbase and himself. A couple times saying a couple of outlandish things early on its oh he's just that drunk eccentric billioniare, gotta be crazy to make all those billions! The longer he has hung around and the more he has opened his mouth over the years the fanbase is starting to be like...holy crap could this man even use an oven properly let alone run a hockey team to it's fullest potential?

Then you look at things like:
- His failed female viagra
-Him committing securities exchange fraud
- His lawsuit over the nasal spray
-His not paying employees at Berts Bar Barbados
- The grumblings of low staff numbers at the CTC
-A poster here who is almost begging for someone to call him so he can order season tickets and no one will contact him
- The Sens marketing being at an all time low
- The 25th anniversary logo debacle
- The Alfie rumors as to why he didn't sign
-Him supporting a sexual assaulter
-Him embarrassing his fanbase with the forensic investigation talk/any other interview he does

He has created this perception of himself that he's a moron, a liar, and a cheap tightwad, whether it is true or not it's all on HIM. Is anyone really surprised that his relationship with this fan base is dead right now?

+ Turris and his wife's comments
+ Embarrassing and humiliating way to sever ties with a guy who helped win the Lebreton deal (and was kicked to the curb right after the win), set up the outdoor game, and oh yeah, campaigned to find him a f***ing liver

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Wow, what did Yost do to you?? Seems like a good dude.

He didn't do anything to me.

But he claims to have been hacked by Melnyk for looking into his finances and thought Weircioch was a great player because analytics.

He doesn't know anything about hockey.

 

[Micklebot]

How is it obvious (that he meddles) ???

Do you have proof, or just more of your totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation????

Both the owner, and all the GMs that he has had to run the Senators have stated that the owner does not have a role in running the team.

Who should we believe, you a hockey boards poster that offers no proof, or the words of NHL GMs, and the owner?



Again, totally unsubstantiated, unfounded speculation on your part.

Is it really unfounded when a former player claims it happened? That seems like it would qualify as evidence supporting the claim, no?

Do you think there is any way a GM and Owner would confirm that the owner was meddling with the hockey decisions if it were true?

Even at that, just the things that he says on the radio, while not direct, would influence a GMs decision on hockey matters; he called out a coaches decision on the goalie he started while that coach was still with the team, he asked if a coaching candidate could walk on water when asked if he'd pay 3-5 mil for a coach. These are indirect ways of influencing hockey ops in a very public forum.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

+ Turris and his wife's comments
+ Embarrassing and humiliating way to sever ties with a guy who helped win the Lebreton deal (and was kicked to the curb right after the win), set up the outdoor game, and oh yeah, campaigned to find him a ****ing liver

Yes, feel free to keep adding to the list I am sure I forgot many other fun Melnykisms!