Confirmed with Link: #MelnykOut Campaign - successfully raised 8K over this past weekend.

[Sens of Anarchy]

And from Boro too, the guy who is sacrificing the most of any player on the team for Melnycks brand. It's hard to see Boro who'll end up in the worst mental state by his own play defneding a guy who I imagine doesn't care at all about his health.

Boro fights for his teammates not his owner, but to hear him say it is all to typical of a tough closing ranks on his people right or wrong, and at the same time making you wonder why he's doing it?

Boro's doing enough for this team, he should stay out of this.

Freedom is fun

 

[Fandlauer]

Players can say whatever they want. Also I wouldn't expect anyone to publicly criticize the guy writing their paycheque, I wouldn't either.

 

[slamigo]

There seems to be common denominator to all of this, I just can't seem to put my finger on it, on what seems to be the sole problem with the franchise. I really wonder who could be causing all this "gong show"

That wasn't my point. My point was that the act of taking out these billboards is now negatively contributing to the horrible situation. It has simply added yet another ring to the circus. If someone wants to operate in a public way and insinuate themselves into a public dispute, well they gotta start owning up to their own role in the gong show.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

That wasn't my point. My point was that the act of taking out these billboards is now negatively contributing to the horrible situation. It has simply added yet another ring to the circus. If someone wants to operate in a public way and insinuate themselves into a public dispute, well they gotta start owning up to their own role in the gong show.

Vocal opposition beats the hell out of apathy every single time.

 

[The Lewler]

I fully respect the position that the billboards are pointless / negative.

I don't see, however, any meaningful proposal about what fans are supposed to be doing otherwise, except just closing their eyes , handing over cash regularly and hoping things just get better.

 

[Upgrayedd]

No doubt eh, I would however be interested if and when this same question is posed in 10 years time from now, after the ink has long since dried.

 

[Zorf]

I fully respect the position that the billboards are pointless / negative.

I don't see, however, any meaningful proposal about what fans are supposed to be doing otherwise, except just closing their eyes , handing over cash regularly and hoping things just get better.

After raking in a metric ton of extra money with the playoff run last season, the owner has cut even more costs this year.

Blindly handing over money isn't going to help this hockey team. It will only help the owner's bank account.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Well, they're contracted, Melnyk can't just "stop signing paychecks" if you speak bad about him. Not saying players should or should not, but it's also one of the benefits of being in a Union.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I fully respect the position that the billboards are pointless / negative.

I don't see, however, any meaningful proposal about what fans are supposed to be doing otherwise, except just closing their eyes , handing over cash regularly and hoping things just get better.

I don't really care about the billboards, it makes for discussion in a throw away season I guess? But its always about money talking. If only 1 or 2 people are renewing season tickets per 10 like being claimed, ouch. That's not pretty and is the biggest blow to Melnyk by far.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Well, they're contracted, Melnyk can't just "stop signing paychecks" if you speak bad about him. Not saying players should or should not, but it's also one of the benefits of being in a Union.

IMO you could ask them all they would avoid the question or answer similarly to Boro. No player is going to come out and say anything bad about their owner regardless of how they really feel about it. This isn't a guy who works on the line talking about the working conditions

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

IMO you could ask them all they would avoid the question or answer similarly to Boro. No player is going to come out and say anything bad about their owner regardless of how they really feel about it.

I agree for the most part, although you may get the "special" player personality type who doesn't give a shit and says what he thinks, which is very rare in hockey.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Well, they're contracted, Melnyk can't just "stop signing paychecks" if you speak bad about him. Not saying players should or should not, but it's also one of the benefits of being in a Union.

Sure, but Boro is signed for only two more years after this one as a 6th/7th D. He is not exactly an NHL power broker. He's a guy who will have to fight for every contract he gets. Do you think he wants to answer in a way that might brand him as a trouble maker for an NHL owner?

If Boro did not like Melnyk as an owner, nothing good can come out of Boro answering "Yeah, Melnyk is kind of a dick".

 

[danielpalfredsson]

This campaign needs legitimate goals so that it can be considered successful.

Proposed Goal 1
-Hot water in the CTC bathrooms

"You know, hot water doesn't kill germs anyways, and there's absolutely no proof that people want hot water when washing their hands, let alone that people want to wash their hands after fumbling through a piss soaked hockey game bathroom. Look, why don't you provide a source that hands exist, or else I won't engage in a discussion about your claim that there is no hot water in the CTC bathrooms."-Melnyk defense crew

 

[slamigo]

I fully respect the position that the billboards are pointless / negative.

I don't see, however, any meaningful proposal about what fans are supposed to be doing otherwise, except just closing their eyes , handing over cash regularly and hoping things just get better.

That's valid. Remember though, it requires a lot more thought to figure out a win/win in a situation like this.

What the billboard originator doesn't seem to accept is that he's positing a zero sum game. He has defined the argument as the only acceptable outcome is that Melnyk is out. There is no Melnyk work with us fans. Or Melnyk do action A, B or C. It's just, Melnyk no longer exist in Ottawa. The solution is not 'YOU GO AWAY". That's infantile. There is no dialogue of 'here's what we want to change and how'. The dialogue is "YOU GO AWAY". That solves nothing. Dismissing the #MELNYKOUT campaign is incredibly easy because it's internal logic is fundamentally flawed. The owner will not acknowledge it and as other have pointed out, the players cannot really comment on it either. It's just awkward.

The solution needs to be community based and fan based. If this had been a billboard campaign to resign Karlsson, that would have been much more difficult to dismiss. Melnyk can counterpoint with other suggestions or even demands. He could have even demanded STH hit a certain threshold of sales in order to keep EK. Bryden used to do it all the time with the team stating that if certain STH sales weren't met, he'd move the team to another city or sell it. It wouldn't be super popular for Melnyk to hold EK ransom on the city but if it meant higher STH sales, then he'd go for it. Even though everyone may hate the owner, it would still allow a win/win scenario.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

This campaign needs legitimate goals so that it can be considered successful.

Proposed Goal 1
-Hot water in the CTC bathrooms

"You know, hot water doesn't kill germs anyways, and there's absolutely no proof that people want hot water when washing their hands, let alone that people want to wash their hands after fumbling through a piss soaked hockey game bathroom. Look, why don't you provide a source that hands exist, or else I won't engage in a discussion about your claim that there is no hot water in the CTC bathrooms."-Melnyk defense crew

haha. But seriously, I'll go without hot water if it means we hire an extra scout.

Problem is, that's not how it works.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

That's valid. Remember though, it requires a lot more thought to figure out a win/win in a situation like this.

What the billboard originator doesn't seem to accept is that he's positing a zero sum game. He has defined the argument as the only acceptable outcome is that Melnyk is out. There is no Melnyk work with us fans. Or Melnyk do action A, B or C. It's just, Melnyk no longer exist in Ottawa. The solution is not 'YOU GO AWAY". That's infantile. There is no dialogue of 'here's what we want to change and how'. The dialogue is "YOU GO AWAY". That solves nothing. Dismissing the #MELNYKOUT campaign is incredibly easy because it's internal logic is fundamentally flawed. The owner will not acknowledge it and as other have pointed out, the players cannot really comment on it either. It's just awkward.

The solution needs to be community based and fan based. If this had been a billboard campaign to resign Karlsson, that would have been much more difficult to dismiss. Melnyk can counterpoint with other suggestions or even demands. He could have even demanded STH hit a certain threshold of sales in order to keep EK. Bryden used to do it all the time with the team stating that if certain STH sales weren't met, he'd move the team to another city or sell it. It wouldn't be super popular for Melnyk to hold EK ransom on the city but if it meant higher STH sales, then he'd go for it. Even though everyone may hate the owner, it would still allow a win/win scenario.

Maybe we should just give him explicit directives via billboard.

#MelnykRe-signEK
#MelnykAddHotWater
#MelnykHireMoreFrontOfficeStaff
#MelnykForTheLoveOfGodStopRollingOutTheRacingPrimeMinisters

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Maybe we should just give him explicit directives via billboard.

#MelnykRe-signEK
#MelnykAddHotWater
#MelnykHireMoreFrontOfficeStaff
#MelnykForTheLoveOfGodStopRollingOutTheRacingPrimeMinisters

#MelnykDoWeReallyNeedToKeepEmployingTheMissingChickletsWhenTheySuckTheEnergyOutOfTheArenaEveryDamnTimeLikeSeriouslyWhoEnjoysBabaOrileyWithoutLyricsAnyway

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

#TheMissingChickletsOut

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I think it could have been more effective to have a form letter .. that fans can download .. sign and send into the Senators c/o Melnyk. Or send email to their tickets address... explaining why they will not renew, or support the team in that way.

I think the billboard thing will turn as many people off as on.. its a chuckle, but after that.. its just there.. I don't think it inspires anyone.

 

[BatherSeason]

If they re-tool this summer and sign Karlsson long term, I fail to see how that is a bad thing.

I would argue that part of the reason they may have held back at the deadline had to do with some of the fan backlash. I will also argue that if they decide to re-tool instead of re-build and resign Karlsson, it will also be partly to do with the negative backlash from the fanbase, whether it be by there being 4 billboards, or the very poor season ticket renewal numbers.

 

[Upgrayedd]

A few clueless folks in here but boy did I get a big laugh when I see people's who's job it is to be in the know writing big articles about these billboards and stating that it will accomplish nothing...it is absolutely hilarious to see someone in that position be completely blind to the fact that the intent is to generate discussion....exactly what they are doing with the article they have just written.

 

[BatherSeason]

They probably should have picked a better hashtag then #MelnykOut, if the goal was anything other than wanting Melnyk out.

They didn't start the hashtag, someone else on Twitter did before the billboards were even thought of. I also wish people would do a better job of informing themselves before they became critical of a subject. For example, I have years of TSN1200 radio listening to be critical about

Have a read folks, if you want to be critical after, go ahead.
#MelnykOut

 

[Zorf]

This campaign needs legitimate goals so that it can be considered successful.

Proposed Goal 1
-Hot water in the CTC bathrooms

"You know, hot water doesn't kill germs anyways, and there's absolutely no proof that people want hot water when washing their hands, let alone that people want to wash their hands after fumbling through a piss soaked hockey game bathroom. Look, why don't you provide a source that hands exist, or else I won't engage in a discussion about your claim that there is no hot water in the CTC bathrooms."-Melnyk defense crew

For the life of me, I cannot remember where I saw it, but the Sens actually did a fan survey a while back.

Cold water in the bathrooms didn't crack the top 10 on surveys received from male respondents.
It was much higher on surveys submitted by female fans though.


I find the water to be hilariously cold and I'm always reminded of that survey so it makes me laugh.

To be honest, I don't really care that the water is cold. My only gripe about the washrooms is the scumbags who go in through the exit hallway and cut in line.
Or when I'm there with my kids and someone uses the kiddy urinal. C'mon man.

 

[Smash88]

I would argue that part of the reason they may have held back at the deadline had to do with some of the fan backlash. I will also argue that if they decide to re-tool instead of re-build and resign Karlsson, it will also be partly to do with the negative backlash from the fanbase, whether it be by there being 4 billboards, or the very poor season ticket renewal numbers.

Exactly.

The fan backlash was already there, hence why I think the billboards were premature if not unnecessary.

Had the Karlsson trade went through and it was a bad return as reported then sure go nuts.

I still believe that Karlsson wasn't as close to being traded as many believe, but that's just me.