News Article: NHL must step in to stop shady Senators owner Eugene Melnyk

[BK201]

100% agree. I really believe when he sells , the fans will return.

my shower thought is what if the new owner is a worse person but more money?

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Even if Melnyk sells, I'm honestly not convinced everyone will come back. I think he's killed the love of the team out of a lot of people and it will be hard to get it back.

Melnyk selling will be a huge marketing opportunity.

It will get some people back, but it will be an uphill battle to rebuild the fanbase because people won't want to pay to see a last place team.

If the Senators get Lafreniere, combined with Melnyk selling, that will go a long way to re-energizing the fanbase.

The current situation with the Senators will probably set them team back a decade in terms of building local fan support. Both because the downtown arena was jumbled, which means the team isn't as accessible to more people - but also because the Leafs are really good right now. A major issue with marketing the Senators is that we are a transplant city that is in the middle of a territory formerly held by the Leafs and Canadiens. Fans of those teams selfishly try to get their kids to cheer for Toronto or Montreal rather than having them cheer for their home team of Ottawa. If you're 7 years old right now, what's a more exciting proposition? Cheering for the team that is a Cup Contender, has the player whose on the front of the video game, and doesn't suck at hockey? Or cheering the the team that loses every night and has radio ads urging you to see your favourite Ottawa Senators like Ron Hainsey?

This team grinded their way into building up a fan base who are now approaching their 30's and might have money for season tickets. They are at risk to lose a huge chunk of the next generation after that.

This team needs to be sold, it needs to start winning, and it needs a marketable superstar forward like Lafreniere.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

This is why you can't just throw your hands up and rebuild inorganically because you can't afford to compete in the league anymore and you burned through what little you had available from mismanagement by your bargain bin GM. It's your prerogative to do what you wish with your franchise, but fans and media see through it and trying to lecture them that they're wrong is just doubling down on a bad strategy in the first place.

I think there was an avenue to try to sell this thing at least better than it is, but they have handled this as poorly as you possibly could imo. An absolute train wreck from a public relations standpoint. They drove fans away and then they pissed them off over and over and over, every time they stepped in front of a mic. At no point through all of this did they try to appeal to fans, they were too busy telling them what they should want. This has not at all felt like a two way street relationship, it's just been them popping up every month or two with another controlled interview spewing their narrative without ever accepting any responsibility.

There'll be 4 or 5 fully burnt almost dead last finishes by the time this is all over. 2 of those seasons had no optimism and were shrouded in uncertainty and the missing tank reward. That feels like too much dead time for a normal rebuild and would be an uphill battle even for a healthy franchise. When you've already driven legacy players away and burnt the relationship with fans, it's a dangerous time to start a rebuild and expect fans to follow you. Then they come out and hire another bargain bin coach and expect fans to care about that too, as if we weren't all begging them to have a philosophy shift on hiring cheap inexperienced coaches.

There are some realities to the market and arena location that can't be ignored, but for the most part, I think EM and PD are getting exactly what they deserve here, even if there was an end goal in mind that made sense to them.

 

[OttawaSenators11]

Fans would come back

Idiots would be out of a job and no doubt the new ownership would be bringing in #11 plus other respected hockey people and likely helping fund a new Stadium to look forward to that's a lot of positives to get excited for with regards to the future should Melnyk actually sell.

 

[HSF]

if the sens get new onwership and fire dorion i fully expect a lot of people to come back

 

[OttawaSenators11]

While it sucks to see the players not get great support from the fans... This is absolutely needed to try and force a sale hopefully it continues until that happens rather it be the rest of this year or multiple years fans need to try and stay away as much as possible IMO.

Even if you get free tickets don't go because you'll still be giving your hard earned money to our scum owner purchasing food and drinks etc ..

 

[Samsquanch]

my shower thought is what if the new owner is a worse person but more money?

Unless we get Warren Buffet or Bill and Melinda Gates as our new owners, the next of owner of the team will likely be a morally bankrupt person.

Most of these super rich people got there by being cold and calculated. But as long as they do what real owners are supposed to do - provide funding and let the team be operated by hockey people, and stay hell out of the media themselves, then I don't care if they are just as slimy as Melnyk.

Melnyk is either a moron because he doesn't understand how much damage he does when talks, or he just secretly loves hearing his own name in the news and trolling all of us while playing dumb.

 

[TheDebater]

A "good" NHL owner, is one the fans simply know by name and how much money they are worth. That is it, we should know nothing else about their personal lives or what they think of the team. Leave the hockey opinions up to the President, General Managers and coaches, something Melnyk fails to do.

 

[coladin]

The Ottawa Senators have plenty of fans in this city, in fact, there are enough Sens fans in Ottawa to fill five CTC's to capacity. The reason for low attendance has nothing to do with the market not being good enough, but Melnyk is destroying a perfect opportunity for the fanbase with the rise of the younger generation.

If you were born in the late late 70's and 80's, then you grew up watching the Sens at a young age and are probably in your 30-40's now with kids old enough to watch games and ask questions. In fact most children cheer for the team their parents cheer for at home.

Right now many of the 70-80's born fans probably have kids and these kids are probably missing out on an amazing experience of a packed CTC. This is on Melnyk, there is not a lack of media attention on this team to "attract fans", the fans are here, many have simply been turned off by this gong show and are not willing to spend their hard earned money to support an owner unworthy of ownership.

There have always been issues, at the cheapest prices since inception of the franchise. The high water mark was 11K seasons. This was a very successful franchise so there are, and always have been, questions about the market. Exacerbated by higher operating costs

 

[slamigo]

Meaning? Has about as much credibility as Dorion and Melnyk

What? Garrioch has tons of credulity. Oh wait...

 

[The Lewler]

I mean none of us "know" what will happen, but there is a solidified black cloud camped on this franchise currently.

If that lifted with a new owner, and a return of Alfredsson, with maybe a #1 overall pick, yeah that cloud would dissipate rapidly. The long term viability could then be debated once stability had actually returned.

 

[Daffy]

For the first time I feel like there is a legit chance the team moves. The fans won't go to the games. And the owner seems too stubborn to sell. The league isn't going to push him out. I can honestly see it happening now. Very sad what has happened to such a once proud franchise.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I mean none of us "know" what will happen, but there is a solidified black cloud camped on this franchise currently.

If that lifted with a new owner, and a return of Alfredsson, with maybe a #1 overall pick, yeah that cloud would dissipate rapidly. The long term viability could then be debated once stability had actually returned.

Yup. Even though some time has passed, that massive black cloud has continued to hang over the franchise and isn't going to just go away.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5318022?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Plot twist, one of the 5 guys was Melnyk himself.

 

[Peptic Balcers]

I think we can all agree when they said they liked 5 guys, they were talking about the burger joint

 

[Spartachat]

They all said no after they found they would be paid in Sensbucks.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

100% agree. I really believe when he sells , the fans will return.

It will take a long, long time barring the team being very good.

The current attendance slide started in 2013. These things take time.

 

[BonkTastic]

But Bill Daly assured me that the league is "feeling fine" about Melnyk.

I wonder if this story is one of the ones they feel is "unfair and unjustified"?

 

[Gil Gunderson]

It will take a long, long time barring the team being very good.

The current attendance slide started in 2013. These things take time.

I wonder what happened in 2013...

 

[BonkTastic]

It will take a long, long time barring the team being very good.

The current attendance slide started in 2013. These things take time.

I don't doubt that if Melnyk were to sell in December (hypothetically speaking), that there would be a SIGNIFICANT upswing in January.

The problem wouldn't be solved overnight, there's certainly been some brand damage over the past 2-3 seasons for sure, but I guarantee the positive difference in attendance numbers would be significant and noticeable.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Plot twist, one of the 5 guys was Melnyk himself.

I think we can all agree when they said they liked 5 guys, they were talking about the burger joint

They all said no after they found they would be paid in Sensbucks.

But Bill Daly assured me that the league is "feeling fine" about Melnyk.

I wonder if this story is one of the ones they feel is "unfair and unjustified"?

I'd give you all a like, but I've been a bad boy.

 

[RedWhiteBlackGold]

I don't doubt that if Melnyk were to sell in December (hypothetically speaking), that there would be a SIGNIFICANT upswing in January.

The problem wouldn't be solved overnight, there's certainly been some brand damage over the past 2-3 seasons for sure, but I guarantee the positive difference in attendance numbers would be significant and noticeable.

Agreed. Things won't be solved over night with a new owner but I wouldn't be surprised to see a renewed interest amongst long time fans who have lost faith. It may take a few years to get back to prime numbers but I can't imagine the attendance numbers not get some upward traction the day Melnyk is out of the picture.