Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk "admits he lost a lot of money operating his NHL team last season, but he remains committed to the hockey club for the long haul," according to Wayne Scanlan of the OTTAWA CITIZEN. Melnyk said, "That team will never be sold. Never for sale. Did we lose money last year? No question. Just do the math. I’ve always said, we’ve got to go deep into the second round [of the playoffs] to break even." Melnyk later "qualified his commitment slightly, saying the club would never be sold "as long as the fan base continues to be interested." Melnyk: "It would have to get to the point of one of these other teams (Phoenix, Atlanta), where nobody really gives a damn. There’s not a chance that’s going to happen, I think, in my lifetime, in Ottawa." Melnyk "believes his team could break even this season even if the Senators don’t qualify for postseason play." He said, "We should not be in business if we have to make the playoffs just to break even. That’s not fair. That’s your bonus." Melnyk would not confirm a report that the team lost C$14M last season, but he admitted that "scaling down the payroll makes sense in a city like Ottawa, where 'the revenue base is somewhat flat-lined'" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 9/15).
WISHING ON A STAR: In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel notes the Stars are expected to file for bankruptcy this week in Delaware, which is the "best news this team has received in years." Vancouver businessman Tom Gagliardi "remains the leader to buy the team." The "first thing Gagliardi must do is to hire a president that realizes this thing doesn't need a makeover as much as an awareness plan in the worst way." The Stars "need to create and agree on an identity of what they want to be, and what they want to sell." The Rangers "did that and executed it wonderfully," and the Stars "should copy" the MLB team in that sense (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 9/15).
