"If it becomes a disaster here, yeah!".... Happy Holidays Sens fans!
I'm not gonna fault Eugene Melnyk for thinking in line with any other owner in professional sport. If the situation becomes untenable you'd be foolish not to look elsewhere. Thing is, it hasn't, and by answering the question about moving the team (which to be fair he was asked) in this manner he ignited what he had to know would be a firestorm that would keep the eternal flame on Parliament Hill burning for a millennium.
I'm no PR expert but I'm pretty sure this wasn't going to go on 'how to' reels. Instead of spouting off incendiary remarks he easily could have steered the questions in another direction or made it all about what it should've been in the first place. The NHL 100 classic. The focus of the leagues' attention was on Ottawa. Thousands of fans were gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NHL and enjoy the spectacular, all be it chilly, setting at Parliament Hill for the alumni game Friday night followed by the match up with the rival Montreal Canadiens at TD Place Stadium on Saturday. He may have perhaps mentioned that it was about two huge points for his franchise which he assured people "are a playoff team", or that many Sens legends had returned to celebrate with the fan-base. Instead it was about him.
His comments in and of them self certainly weren't the most egregious thing one could have said. As point out by Sportsnet's Tim and Sid (Shout out for airing my tweet!) had they been said at another time, it likely doesn't cause anywhere near the commotion, especially as it was hypothetical and he stated he has no intentions of moving the team anywhere. However, as Chris Johnston point out on the show, timing is everything and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
To start there's the team's record. They've been struggling, the fan base was already edgy, so you'd think coming off a big win against the Rangers and into a fun filled weekend you'd want to build on that....or so common sense would suggest.
Then there were Erik Karlsson's comments on his upcoming contract and Melnyk's subsequent reaction. Karlsson said when asked that he wants to get paid what he's worth. He reiterated he hopes its in Ottawa but it is a business. Not exactly reassuring for those in Sens Army, but no reason to blow a gasket either. Apparently that wasn't the case for Eugene. He wasn't happy his star player spoke so honestly and there was apparently a heated discussion amongst the sides. So you can forgive Sens fans for noting the hypocrisy here. Melnyk is moaning and groaning about not selling out every game, putting money in his pocket (after all its a business) but heaven forbid your BEST player, one of the top players in the entire league suggest he get a fair shake!! For shame!! If you're having trouble selling tickets with him...
Then came the Kyle Turris bombshell. He revealed he was disappointed he couldn't remain in Ottawa and that the GM wanted to sign him to an extension but the owner didn't. GM Pierre Dorian promptly played the role of good soldier and refuted this claim saying all hockey decisions go through him, prompting Turris's wife to LOL at these remarks on Twitter. To be fair a significant contract like that would be discussed with any owner, but its the constant whispers of meddling, and many still blaming Melnyk for favourite son Daniel Alfredsson's departure from the team, twice, along with the unceremonious departure of Cyril Leeder earlier this year, a man who played a significant role in hockey returning to the capital, and the evidence is starting to pile up.
Then, for good measure, there was the New York comparison. He noted that playoff tickets in New York were going for a $1000 dollars, making it sound as if Sens fans should be grateful they only have to pay a few hundred! The man's a saint! This merely reinforced to many how out of touch he is with the average fan in his market. I'm not suggesting they give them away (though I'd take them), but lets be realistic. Ottawa is a predominantly government town. Many haven't been paid in ages because of the debacle that is the Phoenix pay system, nor are they allowed to take tickets as gifts from corporations. There aren't a huge amount of corporate sponsors here so its on regular working class people to shell out their hard earned money. They're around the top third in ticket prices per game despite being a smaller market. Unlike Manhattan it's not a place where you can throw a rock down the street and hit three millionaires. If the prices were lower you'd likely see an increase in attendance and all that comes along with it revenue wise: parking, concessions etc...
To be fair Sens fans can be fickle. This isn't Montreal or Toronto where you sell out simply by virtue of existing, and this can be a sore spot for some. You can't sugarcoat those financial realities and he's certainly not to blame for them. However, if the situation were truly that dire, they wouldn't have survived here this long. Oh, and about those playoff seats many, including himself, are quick to point out weren't sold, they were in later rounds when prices were once again jacked through the roof.
Lets play devil's advocate for a moment, Melnyk didn't build the rink out in Kanata. The prospect of a new downtown arena at Lebreton Flats would certainly help in the attendance regard. Lets face it, atmosphere counts and a parking lot is, well lets just say maybe Bills Mafia could help but aside from that...They need look no further than down the street at TD Place where the CFL's RedBlacks have revitalised Lansdowne and doing very well. Having a winner helps too mind you, but its hard to deny the fun around the game has been a major factor in their success. People are sick of driving out to the middle of nowhere and shelling out $20-30 bucks for parking before even getting in the door. A development similar to what other cities like Edmonton have seen would be a boon to the city and the team.
That said lets not pretend the Sens attendance has plummeted off the map. They've been among the top half of the league for years. I'm not going to argue that Melnyk doesn't want the team to be successful, if only to fill his own pocket book, and the franchise certainly hasn't been run into the ground on his watch, but the way he's gone about it has become tiresome.
Owners are always going to view it as a business and fans should't expect them to bleed for the franchise the same way they do, but many here are sick and tired of the seeming disregard ownership has for them. Ironic given that he reached out to this same community when he needed a liver transplant and they came through for him. He often comes off as self serving, noting he's finally spending money on the team, but lets not pretend that's always been the case (see: internal salary cap). There are reports of scouts worrying they'll not get reimbursed for expenses and discontent within the organisation. At the end of the day its his team and he's free to do what he wants but how exactly is picking fights with star players and fans going to win you any favour? What's irked so many is the appearance that Melnyk simply views them as nothing more than an ATM. The outpouring of anger wasn't just about his comments, but they certainly were the match. Fans are speaking up, question is will the NHL take notice?
