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

[DJB]

So eta for the billboard to go up?

 

[thammias]

It couldn't be any worse. We already have the cheapest office and group of scouts in the league and we're run like a CHL team. Melnyk is almost literally penny pinching.

There isn't a team in the league I wouldn't trade owners with. Even the sunbelt franchises everyone thinks should be relocated wouldn't have this circus around their star players like we just had.

The hyperbole around ownership of this team is astounding. Sure Melnyk is a moron and should keep his mouth shut. But go google Ballard, Chang or Wirtz etc. Those fanbases still supported their team even through the crap that they went through but we traded Brassard and we MAYBE wanted to trade our franchise player and we don't spend to the cap so now everyone wants to jump ship. Geeze how did Edmonton survive trading Gretzky for literally CASH.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

The hyperbole around ownership of this team is astounding. Sure Melnyk is a moron and should keep his mouth shut. But go google Ballard, Chang or Wirtz etc. Those fanbases still supported their team even through the crap that they went through but we traded Brassard and we MAYBE wanted to trade our franchise player and we don't spend to the cap so now everyone wants to jump ship. Geeze how did Edmonton survive trading Gretzky for literally CASH.

The Hawks and Islanders were a disaster on and off the ice with their previous owners. The stands were empty.

 

[Micklebot]

Geeze how did Edmonton survive trading Gretzky for literally CASH.

Well, they did see their attendance steadily decline after the trade until they hit a season average low of 12k fans by the mid 90's

 

[Tuna99]

When fans are comparing this franchise to the oilers of the 90s or Chicago under Wirtz....depressing

The saddest thing is Melnyck with his $$ literally has nothing to do and no one wants him so he’s ended up coming to Ottawa to run the team...our owner is such a loser he doesn’t even have things to do with his millions that he has to show up at a desk to NOT sell tickets to his own franchise.

That’s like Oprah (if she was accepting organs and thought Bob Mcgown was the coolest man on earth with or without his sunglasses) showing up at the weight-watchers head quarters to sell shakes and no one wants one.

 

[Fandlauer]

The hyperbole around ownership of this team is astounding. Sure Melnyk is a moron and should keep his mouth shut. But go google Ballard, Chang or Wirtz etc. Those fanbases still supported their team even through the crap that they went through but we traded Brassard and we MAYBE wanted to trade our franchise player and we don't spend to the cap so now everyone wants to jump ship. Geeze how did Edmonton survive trading Gretzky for literally CASH.

I was a Hawks fan when I was a kid, pre Sens expansion. To say fans supported the Hawks under dollar Bill is absolute nonsense. Christ, the guy had to black out the games on local TV just to try and get a few people to show up to the stadium. Nothing changed until he took a dirt nap and Rocky changed the culture of the team completely. All the fans started to show up and fully embraced the new direction. If anything the Hawks example is something we can look forward to when Melnyk is no longer the owner.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

So....when does the billboard go up?

You'd need to follow the FB page to get updates. I know the fellow who started this was going to look into it on Monday.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

The hyperbole around ownership of this team is astounding. Sure Melnyk is a moron and should keep his mouth shut. But go google Ballard, Chang or Wirtz etc. Those fanbases still supported their team even through the crap that they went through but we traded Brassard and we MAYBE wanted to trade our franchise player and we don't spend to the cap so now everyone wants to jump ship. Geeze how did Edmonton survive trading Gretzky for literally CASH.

No they didn’t.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

You'd need to follow the FB page to get updates. I know the fellow who started this was going to look into it on Monday.

Lame.

People want action when they see the goal has been surpassed. "Looking into it on Monday" does not quench the mob's thirst for blood haha

 

[BonkTastic]

No they didn’t.

In the interest of transparency, Ballard did pretty much sell out that arena for decades despite all of the nonsense he put that franchise through. That's more Toronto being the center of the hockey universe than anything else - you could dress 5 orangutans and have them throw poop all over the ice, and you'd still get sellouts.

Wirtz and Chang though, yeah. Poor teams, low attendance, almost no casual fan support... bad times.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

In the interest of transparency, Ballard did pretty much sell out that arena for decades despite all of the nonsense he put that franchise through. That's more Toronto being the center of the hockey universe than anything else - you could dress 5 orangutans and have them throw poop all over the ice, and you'd still get sellouts.

Wirtz and Chang though, yeah. Poor teams, low attendance, almost no casual fan support... bad times.

I think there is a lot more accountability being put on ownership groups by fans nowadays with social media pressure. That certainly can't be overlooked.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

In the interest of transparency, Ballard did pretty much sell out that arena for decades despite all of the nonsense he put that franchise through. That's more Toronto being the center of the hockey universe than anything else - you could dress 5 orangutans and have them throw poop all over the ice, and you'd still get sellouts.

Wirtz and Chang though, yeah. Poor teams, low attendance, almost no casual fan support... bad times.

As you said Toronto is always an outlier. Yeah I was totally focused on Chicago and NYI and didn’t even see the Toronto actually.

I attended a few Isles games at Nassau it was empty as empty can be during Wang.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

For a second I thought you meant me, and I was very confused.

As to the CTV video, they have some silly people talking on there. People saying Melnyk is doing the best he can for the team? No... no he's not. He's doing what's best for his ego/wallet.

I'm also interested to find myself agreeing with everything Don Brennen said in an article. That's... a new one.

Yes, the CTV report was deceiving. It seems they only kept the people that would be more passive and say... well, he's the owner and he can do what he wants - it's out of our control. There is no way that some people were NOT against EM. Has CTV become the baby CBC?

 

[BonkTastic]

I attended a few Isles games at Nassau it was empty as empty can be during Wang.

I went to Nassau once, it was a game against... Florida, I think? In the mid-late 2000's.

If I'm being generous, there was like 6000 fans in that building that day. It was great for me, because I just got to sit wherever I wanted despite buying the $14 nosebleeds. Must have sucked for the fans of that franchise, though.

 

[BonkTastic]

I think there is a lot more accountability being put on ownership groups by fans nowadays with social media pressure. That certainly can't be overlooked.

Agreed.

I was just making a slight rebuttal on the Ballard claim, from a historical standpoint.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

Lame.

People want action when they see the goal has been surpassed. "Looking into it on Monday" does not quench the mob's thirst for blood haha

He raised close to 10k in a couple of days last weekend and was going to look at when the billboard can be done this passed Monday... I don't understand your opinion of that action being lame. He had already inquired and the billboard coasts 5K and they surpassed the goal... Did you take time to read any of the info or are you simply waiting to be fed the info? If it's the latter, THAT is lame.

 

[Micklebot]

In the interest of transparency, Ballard did pretty much sell out that arena for decades despite all of the nonsense he put that franchise through. That's more Toronto being the center of the hockey universe than anything else - you could dress 5 orangutans and have them throw poop all over the ice, and you'd still get sellouts. If transparency is what we're after, the Leafs attendance in the Ballard years is not a reasonable metric for fan base support when compared to cities with much smaller populations.

Wirtz and Chang though, yeah. Poor teams, low attendance, almost no casual fan support... bad times.

I think having a population ~3 to 4 million, and being the business capital of the country probably makes it a lot easier to fill an arena despite fans disappointment with the product. I mean, assuming the same % of the population was willing to buy tickets here in Ottawa as the currently do, and you tripled the population, we'd be selling out every game too, and that doesn't even account for the vast difference in the business sales situations.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

So....when does the billboard go up?

Are you visiting their FB page for the information?

 

[Micklebot]

He raised close to 10k in a couple of days last weekend and was going to look at when the billboard can be done this passed Monday... I don't understand your opinion of that action being lame. He had already inquired and the billboard coasts 5K and they surpassed the goal... Did you take time to read any of the info or are you simply waiting to be fed the info? If it's the latter, THAT is lame.

I'm thinking that was a joke by DUD...

 

[BonkTastic]

I think having a population ~3 to 4 million, and being the business capital of the country probably makes it a lot easier to fill an arena despite fans disappointment with the product. I mean, assuming the same % of the population was willing to buy tickets here in Ottawa as the currently do, and you tripled the population, we'd be selling out every game too, and that doesn't even account for the vast difference in the business sales situations.

Totally.

This has basically been my argument for the past 20ish years, and not even just for hockey. I'll get in a discussion with someone from Toronto who says something like Ottawa is boring... well yeah, compared to Toronto, of course we are boring. Toronto has 4-5x the population we do, which means they have 4-5x the entertainment options that we do (because more customers = more businesses can be profitable and stay open = more entertainment options), plus being the business capital of the country they are going to have more high-end entertainment options as well...

And then I remind them that it was their choice to move to Ottawa and they can leave whenever they want, and then they don't ever leave because they have a good job and Ottawa is tenfold more affordable than Toronto is, and that the money they used to buy a house here wouldn't even get them a 2-bedroom apt in some old rundown roach-infested building close to the city center in Toronto, and they shut up for like... 2 days, before badmouthing the fact that Ottawa isn't a 24-hour party town.

Wait, where was I? Oh yeah. Leafs fans. Ugh.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

I'm thinking that was a joke by DUD...

If it was, then I apologize. I didn't read it that way.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

So eta for the billboard to go up?

MelnykOut

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

If it was, then I apologize. I didn't read it that way.

It was in jest, but I also thought you were referring to Monday March 5th, not this past Monday. i.e. the guy saying "ya I'll get to it eventually" kind of thing.

I'm also not invested in the campaign, so I wouldn't bother seeking the info out myself

 

[Ray Kinsella]

It was in jest, but I also thought you were referring to Monday March 5th, not this past Monday. i.e. the guy saying "ya I'll get to it eventually" kind of thing.

I'm also not invested in the campaign, so I wouldn't bother seeking the info out myself

Fair enough. But if you won't bother seeking the information, why do you inquire about the results and state an opinion on it?

 

[harrisb]

Blackhawks attendance, you can see when Rocky took over....

Islanders I don't even need to bother, they've cracked 15,000 fans ONCE since 1986