Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk yesterday "prepared fans for some potentially lean years, saying he hoped the Senators would be competitive enough to compete for the Stanley Cup within 'three to five years,'" according to Ken Warren of the OTTAWA SUN. Melnyk was speaking at a town hall meeting at Canadian Tire Centre with about 300 season ticket holders. The town halls -- a second is to be held this morning and a third tomorrow night -- were "designed for season ticket holders to get face-to-face answers" from Melnyk and GM Pierre Dorion after a "disastrous" '17-18 season in which the club finished 30th among 31 NHL teams. Last night's town hall was the "only one open to media, and the Senators had countless restrictions: No audio or video recording was allowed." Reporters were "allowed to live tweet," but could not use computers. They were "permitted to use a pen and paper to take notes," but were "not allowed to ask questions." One season ticket holder challenged Melnyk if he "was 'all in' and whether he would answer the 'elephant in the room' over whether he was overly involved in hockey decisions." Melnyk answered: “I’m fully committed.” Melnyk also said he "should have been smarter and said no” when asked in December whether the team would ever be moved. He also "shot down any speculation that he would sell the team." Melnyk: “There is no price. If something is not for sale, it’s not for sale.” Warren writes Melnyk has "clearly listened to some of the fans’ concerns." Meanwhile, the "ugly black tarps that were stretched across 1,500 seats" at the arena for the '17-18 season will "be gone next year." Melnyk "admitted he made 'a mistake' on that front" (OTTAWA SUN, 4/11).
