Financial Boycott of Melnyk-owned Senators

Are you going to financially support a Melnyk owned team?


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Cat Herder

Formerly BigSensFan
Sep 21, 2006
2,599
442
Belle River,On
The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate after selling was because of poor fan support. I think a boycott is a silly idea. especially if you want a team in Ottawa to cheer for.

Eventually Melnyk will be out.. just give it time
 
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mysens

Registered User
Apr 9, 2013
782
626
Trading EK makes the boycott far easier to organize.

Heck it could get some assets and the EK could sign with the Sens under new ownership once the boycott has forced #MelnykGTFO.
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.
 

Nac Mac Feegle

wee & free
Jun 10, 2011
34,829
9,252
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.

Wrong. The NHL won't let a team move if there are buyers willing to keep the team in the city. If Eugene tries to move anyway, then he'll have to find a different league to play in, as his Senators won't be sanctioned in the NHL.
 
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mysens

Registered User
Apr 9, 2013
782
626
Wrong. The NHL won't let a team move if there are buyers willing to keep the team in the city. If Eugene tries to move anyway, then he'll have to find a different league to play in, as his Senators won't be sanctioned in the NHL.
Hence the standoff between the owner and the NHL. The billionaire owner who is brash and very proud will not let hat happen, let someone else take over in the same city, fat chance.
 
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Countdown0

Deep Breath... nope, still mad!
Jun 28, 2010
1,337
200
Ottawa
Hence the standoff between the owner and the NHL. The billionaire owner who is brash and very proud will not let hat happen, let someone else take over in the same city, fat chance.

Melnyk aint one of those anymore, maybe that's his problem. He thinks he's a bigger player than he really is? Pro sports franchises are hobbies for multi-billionaires. Eugene needs to realize that he's a non-factor and cash out.
 
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Stylizer1

SENSimillanaire
Jun 12, 2009
19,276
3,689
Ottabot City
Melnyk is stalling. He refinanced the debt because he knew season tickets and walk up crowds were going to be weak this season so he needed the cash as a way to hold out until the Seattle money comes in, and then he will sell.:crossfing
 

BonkTastic

ಠ_ಠ
Nov 9, 2010
30,901
10,092
Parts Unknown
The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate after selling was because of poor fan support.

Absolutely not.

The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate was because of massive in-fighting among ownership within Atlanta Spirit, who also owned the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise, as well as the arena (the infighting started on the NBA side of the business, and featured partner Steve Belkin on one side, and the rest of "Atlanta Spirit" on the other). They were in court for years trying to force a buyout of Belkin's 30% stake in Atlanta Spirit, and caused massive brand damage in the process as Atlanta Spirit, the team's owner, publicly claimed that "hockey would not work in Atlanta" in order to reduce the value of the investment so that when they bought Belkin out, it would cost less since the asset would be publicly devalued.

This went on for HALF A DECADE. Finally, when Atlanta Spirit bought out Belkin, fans had been told for half a decade BY THE OWNERS that the Thrashers would never succeed, so they stopped going. It didn't help that Atlanta Spirit had never wanted the Thrashers, they had bought Phillips Arena and the Hawks from Time Warner (after the massive AOL flop) for the NBA team, and were forced to take the Thrashers as well because they were the other tenant at Phillips Arena. The only people in the Atlanta Spirit group who even had the faintest interest in hockey were Bud Seretean (who died before the Thrashers were sold) and Belkin (a Boston native), who was forced out.

After the Belkin buyout, Atlanta Spirit wanted to rid themselves of an asset they never wanted in the first place, and put the Thrashers up for sale... but also refused to let the new owners use Phillips Arena as a home for the team. Basically, that left Atlanta with a hockey team but no hockey arena to play in. Since arena ownership exists outside of the terms of ownership in the league, the NHL could not force them to allow the Thrashers to play in the building.

The NHL had an NHL team in a city with no arena to play in for the immediate future, and no support to build a new arena for the long-term future. So they moved the team.


And even as I post this, my description of the Atlanta relocation is the short, ultra-concise version of the story. You could write a book about everything that led to the Thrashers move to Winnipeg. Heck, just the part of the story where Atlanta Spirit buys the Hawks/Thrashers/Phillips Arena package would be it's own novel.

Saying "Atlanta lost the team because bad fan support" is such a cop-out answer to a much more detailed, nuanced, and ultimately disastrous story that features toxic ownership, debilitating in-fighting, and overt, purposeful brand destruction.

TL,DR: The Thrashers left because, due to terrible ownership, the team no longer had an arena to play in, and the league couldn't force the arena owners to let them use their arena.
 
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Sensung

Registered User
Oct 3, 2017
6,101
3,357
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.
So much misinformation in one post...congrats.

The group purchasing the Sens wants to be in the Lebreton deal. They would move the team all the way from Kanata to downtown.
 

DDT

Registered User
Aug 18, 2008
142
26
The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate after selling was because of poor fan support. I think a boycott is a silly idea. especially if you want a team in Ottawa to cheer for.

Eventually Melnyk will be out.. just give it time
The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate is because no buyer was found who wanted to keep them there. Bettman has been on the record as finding a buyer who wants to keep a team in its current location is always priority #1.
 

DDT

Registered User
Aug 18, 2008
142
26
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.
Nope, Bettman has stated in the past that finding a buyer willing to keep a team in its current location trump moving it. And we know there is at least 1 buyer interested in keeping it here.
 

stempniaksen

Registered User
Oct 12, 2008
11,005
4,263
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.

Why?
 

DDT

Registered User
Aug 18, 2008
142
26
Hence the standoff between the owner and the NHL. The billionaire owner who is brash and very proud will not let hat happen, let someone else take over in the same city, fat chance.
Yeah, there are 30 other owners who for the most part have way more money than Melnyk. I don't think he'd fare well in a standoff...
 

BonkTastic

ಠ_ಠ
Nov 9, 2010
30,901
10,092
Parts Unknown
The reason the Thrashers were able to relocate is because no buyer was found who wanted to keep them there. Bettman has been on the record as finding a buyer who wants to keep a team in its current location is always priority #1.

And there was no buyer who wanted to keep them in Atlanta specifically because there was no arena in Atlanta for them to play in.

If Atlanta Spirit had let new owners use Phillips Arena, the Thrashers could very well still be in Atlanta.
 

NyQuil

Big F$&*in Q
Jan 5, 2005
95,353
59,261
Ottawa, ON
I'm going to keep going to games because I want Ottawa to remain a viable market.

I guess I'm in the massive minority.
 

Wondercarrot

By The Power of Canadian Tire Centre
Jul 2, 2002
8,126
3,968
I really think that you post things that are so far from reality just so you can ruffle feathers. You sincerely think a move like this is viable and real? My goodness, when are you going to understand, if EM sells this team, it will not stay here. How about a theory that if the billionaire owner is just waiting for the NHL to approve a move out of Ottawa rather than finding a new owner for this city. EM will never sell his team to keep it in Ottawa, once the NHL agrees to his terms, then maybe you wish comes true. The team is gone from Ottawa.

lol @ the team moving, of all the bad takes in here - and there are plenty - this one takes the cake.
 
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DDT

Registered User
Aug 18, 2008
142
26
And there was no buyer who wanted to keep them in Atlanta specifically because there was no arena in Atlanta for them to play in.

If Atlanta Spirit had let new owners use Phillips Arena, the Thrashers could very well still be in Atlanta.
Yes indeed, but my innate laziness got in the way of me typing a more elaborate explanation like you did. Cheers for that by the way!
 

GrantLemons

Church of FYOUS
Feb 3, 2013
1,997
1,584
Ottawa, ON
I'm going to keep going to games because I want Ottawa to remain a viable market.

I guess I'm in the massive minority.

I respect that. A big part of it for me is the actual in game entertainment value.

I hate the jerseys; I hate the terrible version of the classic Sens intro song they play; I hate the same crappy pump up video they play literally all year long; I hate that I don't get to see Lyndon Slewidge occasionally; I hate the PM race every f***ing second intermission; I hate the lack of media they present on the jumbotron (used to be some very well made funny clips they would bust out that would get you lol'ing); I hate the music (for the most part); I hate the Missing Chiclets (if they even exist anymore).

Hate might be a strong word, but I feel my reluctance to continue going to games being equal parts Melnyk, equal parts the fact I just don't enjoy the experience of actually going to games anymore. It frustrates me more than anything because I remember games when I was younger and the way it used to be. It was just so much more of an engaging experience.
 
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Zorf

Apparently I'm entitled?
Jan 4, 2008
4,946
1,566
I'm at a cross roads. I do not want to give Melnyk my money, but my kids love the Sens and I want them to experience games.

I brought my oldest to one of the Rangers games during the ECF run and he was over the moon.

But, will the atmosphere this season be crap? I don't want to bring them to a half empty rink that's quiet and boring.

I don't know what to do
 

Studzle

Registered User
Dec 1, 2013
757
485
Toronto
I'm at a cross roads. I do not want to give Melnyk my money, but my kids love the Sens and I want them to experience games.

I brought my oldest to one of the Rangers games during the ECF run and he was over the moon.

But, will the atmosphere this season be crap? I don't want to bring them to a half empty rink that's quiet and boring.

I don't know what to do
Take them to the game. Melnyk will be gone one day anyway. Your kids will only get older and looking back will be happy they got to go to games with their family.

I cherish the games I went to with my dad because they are some of the best memories I had with him.
 
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