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

[Neil Patrick Harris]

Melnyk doesnt have the money to pay the relocation fee

Or the power to just pack up and move the franchise just because he felt like it.

Bettman himself came out when this whole debacle started and said that he didn't think there was any real risk of the team relocating. And my sources tell me he might have insider information about what the league thinks.

 

[edgeoftheearth]

I am going to go on record and say if the Sens trade Erik Karlsson with or without packaging Bobby Ryan I am straight up done.

I wasn't very happy with the handling of Alfredsson which is still a hot topic but he was past his prime and at that point deserved a shot at the cup if we weren't going to pay him top dollar.

EK on the other hand has easily 5 good seasons left, and there is no excuse to not sign him to a league max contract and ride what he can give you. I really like Chabot but he would be ideal as our 1B playmaker behind Karl and the 1-2 punch would be a force to defend against around the league.

I really hope Dorian and Melnyk don't mess this up, or they have lost a fan from expansion days. Now that I live in southeastern Ontario, there are 3 teams 3 hours or less from me I can bring my support to and really would have no guilt doing as such if EK isn't inked long-term.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Those are some nice billboards. Glad I could contribute to them.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I am going to go on record and say if the Sens trade Erik Karlsson with or without packaging Bobby Ryan I am straight up done.

I wasn't very happy with the handling of Alfredsson which is still a hot topic but he was past his prime and at that point deserved a shot at the cup if we weren't going to pay him top dollar.

EK on the other hand has easily 5 good seasons left, and there is no excuse to not sign him to a league max contract and ride what he can give you. I really like Chabot but he would be ideal as our 1B playmaker behind Karl and the 1-2 punch would be a force to defend against around the league.

I really hope Dorian and Melnyk don't mess this up, or they have lost a fan from expansion days. Now that I live in southeastern Ontario, there are 3 teams 3 hours or less from me I can bring my support to and really would have no guilt doing as such if EK isn't inked long-term.

Send it in to the Sens ...

 

[salomonster]

I am going to go on record and say if the Sens trade Erik Karlsson with or without packaging Bobby Ryan I am straight up done.

I wasn't very happy with the handling of Alfredsson which is still a hot topic but he was past his prime and at that point deserved a shot at the cup if we weren't going to pay him top dollar.

EK on the other hand has easily 5 good seasons left, and there is no excuse to not sign him to a league max contract and ride what he can give you. I really like Chabot but he would be ideal as our 1B playmaker behind Karl and the 1-2 punch would be a force to defend against around the league.

I really hope Dorian and Melnyk don't mess this up, or they have lost a fan from expansion days. Now that I live in southeastern Ontario, there are 3 teams 3 hours or less from me I can bring my support to and really would have no guilt doing as such if EK isn't inked long-term.

I'm 100% on board with this, I'll be out too.

The billboard stuff is just sad. Waste of energy and $ in my books.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

I'm 100% on board with this, I'll be out too.

The billboard stuff is just sad. Waste of energy and $ in my books.

Is it anymore sad than complaining on a message board where your voice isn't heard?

 

[Sens]

If it’s job is to generate discussion then it’s worked...

 

[Ice-Tray]

Given that there zero chance that the fans or billboards would chase EM from owning the team, it would seem like signing EK is the real issue at hand.

Why would the focus not be on calling for EK to be signed? I mean folks are now talking about the billboards being about starting dialogue, but that's not really the case though is it? I mean it's really just to give a segment of the fanbase and opportunity to publicly insult the man. It looks a lot more like a tit for tat situation in response to the outdoor game drama. The high road would have been a better approach.

If those folks wanted to start a discussion they obviously wouldn't have opened with #melnykout stuff. It's a shame really, because some awesome billboards about keeping EK would have been so much more effective in even hinting at a chance to engage the owner, and we all know that a positive approach is always more effective than insults.

It will get some attention, which is much different than sparking discussion with decision makers, which it most assuredly will not.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

Don't put words in my mouth. You may support it, but didn't put up any money, like I said.

Majority of people don't like the way the team is being run, for sure.

A lot of those people will also tell you, putting up billboards is kind of childish and misguided. There is a good article by Rick Gibbons that sums up how a lot of people feel.

Gibbons: Billboards won’t solve our problems with the Senators

I'm not sure why people keep thinking that because we aren't fully embracing putting up billboards, that we are happy with how the team is being run.

Agreed.

On parallel thinking, I’m not sure why the people who aren’t fully embracing putting up billboards keep thinking that the ones who do are wrong.

 

[Silencio]

At the very least, the billboards may make Melnyk and co think a little harder about whether the backlash from trading Karlsson will be worth it

 

[L'Aveuglette]

What I think the billboards show is that there are some truly passionate fans who will put their money where their mouth is. Quite proud of the fanbase today.

I also find it hilarious how it's mostly the Melnyk boot-lickers who are filling this thread with their BS. This is just making them so angry. I love it.

 

[SENSational]

Glad the billboards are up. Melnyk needs to go.

He saved the franchise over a decade ago but he clearly doesn't have the resources to run the team anymore. You just can't compete properly with a barebones front office. Even attempting to trade Karlsson is bafflingly stupid.

Just sell the team.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Fantastic.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

People were already discussing Melnyk being a dingus in high rates before these billboards though. These billboards are actually a byproduct of a discussion that was already going on amongst both casual and hardcore fans.

I can't speak for others, but I'm not offended by these billboards. Ultimately, I don't know how effective they'll be because the claim is the billboards will somehow give fans a voice...okay, but what does having that voice accomplish? What's the mission statement.

Reading their website, it seems like they don't want people to support the owner, at the same time they are encouraging people to photograph themselves at games with signs.....games that tickets they paid for directly go to supporting the owner?

They need an actual mission statement that makes sense and a gameplan about how they are going to actually erect change.

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer. I guess to me, this just seems like a wasted opportunity. The fanbase being energized will be completely wasted by what appears to be a visionless campaign, and the opportunity for true change will be fumbled completely.

I don’t feel that the billboard campaign is about boycotting the games. Far from it. By still attending the games, sure you’re putting money in the owner’s pocket, which also keeps the payroll of our players going. I don’t hear the billboard campaign calling out fans to not attend games.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

What do you base your belief on?

But what do you base your disbelief on?

 

[danielpalfredsson]

I don’t feel that the billboard campaign is about boycotting the games. Far from it. By still attending the games, sure you’re putting money in the owner’s pocket, which also keeps the payroll of our players going. I don’t hear the billboard campaign calling out fans to not attend games.

The campaign website specifically states that as part of the campaign they will no longer support Eugene Melnyk.

"In a matter of hours, the Ottawa fan community made its voice heard loud and clear. We will no longer be disrespected. We will no longer be taken for granted. We will no longer support an owner who does not support us."

What I am pointing out is, it seems contradicting for the same site to encourage people to continue to attend games (Via taking pictures of their MelnykOut signs at games) while claiming the goal is to no longer support Melnyk. Going to games and giving Melnyk your money for his product is supporting him. It's a contradiction.

"Our goal is to start a conversation among fans, media, businesses, and local leadership to help rescue the Ottawa Senators from an owner who has lost the vision or passion to be the caretaker of our beloved hockey team."

Further conversation will not do shit, action needs to be taken if they want change. There has been plenty of conversation prior to this among fans both hardcore and casual. I don't begrudge the MelnykOut campaign, their heart is in the right place, but this is a wasted opportunity. There needs to be actual direct goals, and actual direct means of accomplishing those goals.

An example of an actual mission statement that could be followed, and would have a clear path to initiating change....

-We as fans will no longer support the Ottawa Senators, the NHL, or any sponsors associated with the Senators or the NHL until Melnyk is no longer associated with the Ottawa Senators.

Here is a list of the NHL/Ottawa Senators Sponsors (Along with physical and digital addresses for letter writing campaigns).

Then, the fans organize and initiate campaigns to that goal via contacting sponsors, dropping their cable+satellite packages to hurt Rogers+Bell who both have lucrative stakes in the Senators via Rogers national NHL and Bell's regional (TSN) contract.

Melnyk isn't selling. His feelings won't be hurt by some cute banners. Knowing the personality type this guy exudes, it'll probably have the opposite effect. The only way this guy is getting out is if he is forced out. If that is the actual campaigns goal, they have actually WORK to engage the fans involved in the campaign to not only boycott but also write to (and social media or whatever people do these days) the NHL's and Senators major sponsors.

Yes, the scope would be ambitious, and it would require people to do actual work and make sacrifices to pull it off....but that's why it wouldn't be slacktivism which is what this campaign is bordering on. I am sure the people who have contributed to this and are behind it have their heart in the right place, but I think the way it is going now, they are wasting their time.

 

[Sensung]

Given that there zero chance that the fans or billboards would chase EM from owning the team, it would seem like signing EK is the real issue at hand.

The fans are 100% capable of forcing Melnyk out and furthermore would be very wise to do so for the benefit of NHL hockey in Ottawa.

 

[Sensung]

The campaign website specifically states that as part of the campaign they will no longer support Eugene Melnyk.

"In a matter of hours, the Ottawa fan community made its voice heard loud and clear. We will no longer be disrespected. We will no longer be taken for granted. We will no longer support an owner who does not support us."

What I am pointing out is, it seems contradicting for the same site to encourage people to continue to attend games (Via taking pictures of their MelnykOut signs at games) while claiming the goal is to no longer support Melnyk. Going to games and giving Melnyk your money for his product is supporting him. It's a contradiction.

"Our goal is to start a conversation among fans, media, businesses, and local leadership to help rescue the Ottawa Senators from an owner who has lost the vision or passion to be the caretaker of our beloved hockey team."

Further conversation will not do ****, action needs to be taken if they want change. There has been plenty of conversation prior to this among fans both hardcore and casual. I don't begrudge the MelnykOut campaign, their heart is in the right place, but this is a wasted opportunity. There needs to be actual direct goals, and actual direct means of accomplishing those goals.

An example of an actual mission statement that could be followed, and would have a clear path to initiating change....

-We as fans will no longer support the Ottawa Senators, the NHL, or any sponsors associated with the Senators or the NHL until Melnyk is no longer associated with the Ottawa Senators.

Here is a list of the NHL/Ottawa Senators Sponsors (Along with physical and digital addresses for letter writing campaigns).

Then, the fans organize and initiate campaigns to that goal via contacting sponsors, dropping their cable+satellite packages to hurt Rogers+Bell who both have lucrative stakes in the Senators via Rogers national NHL and Bell's regional (TSN) contract.

Melnyk isn't selling. His feelings won't be hurt by some cute banners. Knowing the personality type this guy exudes, it'll probably have the opposite effect. The only way this guy is getting out is if he is forced out. If that is the actual campaigns goal, they have actually WORK to engage the fans involved in the campaign to not only boycott but also write to (and social media or whatever people do these days) the NHL's and Senators major sponsors.

Yes, the scope would be ambitious, and it would require people to do actual work and make sacrifices to pull it off....but that's why it wouldn't be slacktivism which is what this campaign is bordering on. I am sure the people who have contributed to this and are behind it have their heart in the right place, but I think the way it is going now, they are wasting their time.

All of this and more is coming once EK is traded.

And no, this isn't just about EK. The problems with this owner run much deeper, but when a medium sized NHL market with a good TV deal can't/won't spend the money to sign your generational Dman, then moving him will just be the impetus to mobilize the fanbase.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

What I think the billboards show is that there are some truly passionate fans who will put their money where their mouth is. Quite proud of the fanbase today.

I also find it hilarious how it's mostly the Melnyk boot-lickers who are filling this thread with their BS. This is just making them so angry. I love it.

This is a very passionate fan base, and I think there are enough people that care about getting Melnyk out, that if mobilised correctly, they might actually be able to do something.

The problem is a few cute billboards won't do anything if they aren't in conjunction with any other sort of plan of action. If the website they direct people to actually had a plan fans could follow in order to reach out and boycott key NHL/Sens sponsors and business partners, this thing would have had a chance to accomplish the goal of getting Melnyk out.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

All of this and more is coming once EK is traded.

And no, this isn't just about EK. The problems with this owner run much deeper, but when a medium sized NHL market with a good TV deal can't/won't spend the money to sign your generational Dman, then moving him will just be the impetus to mobilize the fanbase.

Are you involved with the campaign and know they actually have a plan to execute similar to what I outlined? If so, that is a step in the right direction but it is baffling that they would have to wait until Karlsson is traded to execute it. The time do mobilise would have been today when the bill boards went up and thousands of people were visiting their site for the first (and most likely) only time.

The site also completely lacked a visible place for people to sign up to a mailing list, which for a campaign like this is crucial.

I think overall, my main criticism is that this was such a squandered opportunity, and as a result, I'm not confident real change will be gained by this campaign. It's clear that whoever is involved has their heart in the right place, but the execution makes the goal of mobilising the fan base and creating a situation where Melnyk would actually be removed as a direct result of this campaign unlikely.

 

[Sensung]

This is a very passionate fan base, and I think there are enough people that care about getting Melnyk out, that if mobilised correctly, they might actually be able to do something.

The problem is a few cute billboards won't do anything if they aren't in conjunction with any other sort of plan of action. If the website they direct people to actually had a plan fans could follow in order to reach out and boycott key NHL/Sens sponsors and business partners, this thing would have had a chance to accomplish the goal of getting Melnyk out.

The problem is that the billboards are premature. The passionate fans who have been paying attention know that Melnyk needs to go. Without the catalyst of an EK trade, the more casual fan won't be motivated to take the steps needed to get rid of Melnyk.

 

[dumbdick]

Loved listening to the fan call-ins on team1200 ripping you so-called fans. This place is a little group-think echo chamber representing a tiny minority view of entitled internet trolls. You don't speak for the fanbase. Dont forget that.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

Loved listening to the fan call-ins on team1200 ripping you so-called fans. This place is a little group-think echo chamber representing a tiny minority view of entitled internet trolls. You don't speak for the fanbase. Dont forget that.

Geeeeshhh....

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Loved listening to the fan call-ins on team1200 ripping you so-called fans. This place is a little group-think echo chamber representing a tiny minority view of entitled internet trolls. You don't speak for the fanbase. Dont forget that.

Is that your final answer... Please summarize the response from the fans .. the number your tracked and what they had to say on the subject.. What are you saying the split is in opposing views