The Senators hosted the Canadiens on Saturday in the NHL 100 Classic outdoor game, but Owner Eugene Melnyk "put a damper on the festivities" when he brought up the "possibility of relocation, took a shot at fans and said a new downtown arena might never happen," according to Lisa Wallace of the CP. Speaking during the Senators' alumni game at Parliament Hill on Friday night, Melnyk "denied rumours the team was for sale, but did insinuate relocation could be considered." Melnyk: "If it doesn't look good here, it could look very, very nice somewhere else, but I'm not suggesting that right now." Melnyk said that the "constant challenge to sell tickets is frustrating." He added, "Here we're fighting every day to sell a ticket, honest to God. When you get to the third round of the playoffs and you're begging people to buy a ticket something's wrong with that picture" (CP, 12/16). ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski noted Melnyk's remarks "came at a time" when various cities are seeking expansion teams. Melnyk: "We spend $68 million a year. Everyone says 'You are cheap.' Are you kidding me? Even at $68 million, that's way too much over a revenue base that we have" (ESPN.com, 12/16). In Ottawa, Don Brennan wrote Melnyk's "thinly veiled threat to relocate the Senators if business does not pick up" was the "loudest message he delivered." In stressing attendance problems, Melnyk "compared the Senators to a McDonald’s and a grocery store that wasn’t attracting enough customers." Melnyk said, "We've cut everything to the bone in the organization. We are probably one of the thinnest management groups in the league. The next thing you have to look at is players." Additionally, Melnyk "strongly denied rumours that some front-office personnel have not been paid recently" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/16).
SHOULD I STAY? In Ottawa, Ken Warren noted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "arrived to the chill of the outdoor game trying to put out the fire" set by Melnyk. Bettman: "I haven’t even spoken to (Melnyk), but he didn’t say he was moving the franchise. And (you) can’t move the franchise unless you go through the league process and get board of governor approval. So, I just think this is much ado about nothing" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/17). NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, "It's a head-shaker that this team isn't doing better from an attendance standpoint and a fan's standpoint. The team was one goal away from going to the Stanley Cup final last year. This is a very competitive team in a hockey market" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/17). In Ottawa, Norman Provencher noted Melnyk "seems to have surprised the city's elected politicians as much as hockey fans with his controversial musings over the possibility of moving" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 12/17). The CBC's Don Cherry said, "If people don't show up and pack the place all the time ... you can't survive with 13,000. He's gone, Ottawa's gone for sure, don't know where, but Quebec would be nice" (CP, 12/17).
OR SHOULD I GO? The GLOBE & MAIL's Roy MacGregor wrote last week was supposed to be a week of "joyous celebration." The Senators are "still likely moving, but downtown." When they "get there, and how they get there, is still to be decided" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/16). In Ottawa, Bruce Garrioch wrote Melnyk is "frustrated with the empty seats at the Canadian Tire Centre and ... he’s perplexed why the Senators can’t fill the 17,500 seats." Melnyk's timing "wasn't good," but when was a "good time to tell the fans that the possibility exists you may move the team if attendance gets to the point where the club can’t be successful in Ottawa?" The Senators will have to "find a way to get people to travel to Kanata on a regular basis." There are "complaints about the costs of going to a game, the traffic and, there’s lately been a lot of noise about the cost of parking." It "hasn’t helped that the Senators haven’t exactly been great this season" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/17). Also in Ottawa, Jonathan McLeod wrote Melnyk's comments were "absolutely ridiculous." Fans would be "wise to be wary of the Barbadian billionaire who was once seen as the saviour of a floundering franchise" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/17).
RIGHT PLACE, WRONG MAN? In Ottawa, Rick Gibbons writes under the header, "Sens Aren't Going Anywhere, But Maybe It's Time Melnyk Did." Suffice to say there were "enough Melnyk spinoramas to leave an entire fan base flat on its backsides wondering what just hit them." This is "not a winning strategy." It might "accomplish the opposite, further diminishing both the team’s financial wherewithal and the city’s already struggling reputation as a lousy sports town with terrible fans." And that is the "real shame here: Ottawa fans are taking the brunt of criticism for the antics of an increasingly unpopular absentee owner" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/18). The CITIZEN's Provencher noted fans "piled onto social media to offer a different solution: Keep the team, lose the owner." The Twitter hashtag #MelnykOut was "trending in Ottawa" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/17). Also in Ottawa, Wayne Scanlan writes this is the "latest example" of Melnyk being "oblivious to common sense instincts." He "thinks out loud," and the results are "frightening." Ironically, the "ill-timed rant could only detract from the spectacle of the outdoor classic which Melnyk seemed so proud to host" (OTTAWA SUN, 12/18). THE ATHLETIC's James Gordon wrote it is a "wonder that Melnyk still speaks publicly as much as he does." His "off-the-cuff" comments are "often a source of embarrassment" to fans. The owner's appearance "ticked all the boxes of things you shouldn't say when your product isn't selling well and you're trying to generate interest and revenue" (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/16).
