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Entries with the tag: Eugene+Melnyk

Senators Owner Wants His ‘Heatley Bonus’ Money Back

by Paul on 11/02/09 at 09:43 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun via Slam,

It’s payback time for Eugene Melnyk.

Sun Media has learned the Senators owner was so furious with being forced to shell out a $4-million bonus to Dany Heatley, who refused to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, he has filed a grievance asking for his money back…

It’s believed Melnyk not only claims the decision by Heatley to kill the deal cost him $4 million, it also hurt the club’s ability to sell season tickets because of the uncertainty in the Senators camp.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Dany+Heatley, Eugene+Melnyk,

Ottawa Owner Speaks-Out On Heatley

by Paul on 10/02/09 at 09:07 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

While Melnyk wants to put the controversy behind the Senators, who open the season tomorrow in New York against the Rangers, he conceded the situation left a “sour taste” in his mouth and would advise anybody against signing players to front-end-loaded, long-term contracts.

After signing Heatley to a six-year, $45-million contract extension in October 2007, and shelling out more than $14 million to him in the last 12 months — including a whopping $4-million bonus on July 1 — Melnyk found it disrespectful.

“I spoke directly across the table, with (Heatley) and his agents,” said Melnyk. “When you make that type of commitment to a player where you front-end load a contract, you expect, just as a human being, when you shake somebody’s hand — never mind a 130-page contract — that they will be reciprocal to it. That’s my biggest disappointment. These people, I mean just as human beings, (shouldn’t) do that to anyone.

“Yes, it has left a sour taste, but you’ve got to forget about that. You learn from it and you’ll never do it again. I guarantee you, anybody else out there should be aware this can happen to (them) if the other side is not genuine.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,

Morning Line

by Paul on 12/22/08 at 08:23 AM ET
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“I truly believe we will wind up in the top four in the conference. Watch this team. You’re going to be very, very surprised. We have nine new players. We have a new coach. We have a new system.

“It’s only 30 games into the season and we will be a Stanley Cup contender. Mark my words. You’ll see. Just give them some time and that time is right now.”

-Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.  More from Melnyk from Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun.

Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,

Senators’ Melnyk an Involved Owner

by Alanah McGinley on 06/11/08 at 07:06 PM ET
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From Wayne Scanlan at Canwest via the National Post,

Has Eugene invited me to Barbados lately?

That’s what head coaching candidates for the Ottawa Senators had to be asking themselves Wednesday upon hearing that Peter DeBoer of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers was in Barbados meeting with Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.

Until then, Craig Hartsburg of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and former Atlanta Thrashers coach Bob Hartley were rated as having at least as good a chance as DeBoer.

continued...

A great overview of the Senators’ management and coaching issues this year.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: peter+deboer,

Bryan Murray Wants Emery Gone

by Alanah McGinley on 04/18/08 at 01:19 PM ET
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From TSN,

According to Ottawa Senators General Manager and head coach Bryan Murray, Ray Emery’s tenure in the Nation’s capital is likely over.

The Senator’s top brass met with the media Friday to wrap up what turned out to be a disappointing season.  When the subject of Emery was raised, Murray made his position clear.

“My plan is not to have him back,” Murray told reporters.

Team owner Eugene Melnyk, who was part of the press conference refused to comment on the Emery situation.

continued...

Update 5:05pm ET -- Updates added to that TSN story link:

Murray also said he was not about to trade Jason Spezza or Dany Heatley, saying the team made a commitment to those players being part of the team’s core group. He acknowledged that both had poor playoffs and were spoken to about it on Thursday, but added, “I’m not going to discard players like these two people.”

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: bryan+murray, eugene+melnyk, ray+emery,

Confident Owner

by Paul on 02/06/08 at 06:33 PM ET
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from the Ottawa Citizen,

If fans of the Ottawa Senators are worried about their favourite team, owner Eugene Melnyk isn’t.

In fact, he’s boldly predicting that the team’s season is not going to end until mid-June, with another shot at the Stanley Cup.

“Don’t get the BBQ out till mid June,” he said in an e-mail Wednesday. “It is going to be a great run. Mark that.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,

The Ottawa Way

by Paul on 01/19/08 at 09:13 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

Melnyk is more than happy to have locked up Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Mike Fisher for the foreseeable future, but without having to hand out the excessively long contracts that Mike Richards (12 years, $69 million) inked with the Flyers or Alex Ovechkin (13 years, $124 million) signed with the Capitals.

“We are very different team than any of the other teams that are making these kinds of deals,” said Melnyk. “There’s a culture that has been really growing that we’re tougher, grittier and that it truly is a team game. That not only applies on the ice, but it also applies off the ice to demands in salary as well.

“If you are strictly out there for the money, people will pay you that. It’s not a bad if they’re going to overpay single players, they’ve got very smart agents and they get to play two months less a year and get paid a lot of money.

“Those teams are not building a core group.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,

Can Canada Support More NHL Teams?

by Alanah McGinley on 11/06/07 at 03:05 PM ET
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From TSN,

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk thinks Canada could support more NHL teams.  Speaking at a press conference in regards to the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, Melnyk shared his thoughts, citing Winnipeg as an example.

“I’m a big fan of the province of Manitoba… and I know there are some really great fans there. The problem is; what do you do?” Melnyk said. “Do you build a 15,000 seat stadium and fill it, which is a success, or do you build a 20,000 (seat) stadium that has 10,000 people?

“It’s a shame to see Quebec City have to move and then go on to Colorado and if you recall, that was one of the reasons I was really upset when I heard the Senators may leave Ottawa.”

“I think there’s more room.”

continued...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, NHL Talk, NHL Business of Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: ottawa+senators,

Sens Owner Suggests Leafs Get Competitive

by Paul on 09/09/07 at 07:48 AM ET
Comments (2)

from the Toronto Sun,

Eugene Melnyk has a novel idea to spice up the Battle of Ontario.

How about if the Maple Leafs got into the playoffs for a change?

“You would like to see the Leafs competitive,” Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators, said. “I think they are making changes that will make them more competitive. They have to. We’ll see what happens. (The rivalry) does lose a little lustre, but it is still there and it will continue. But hopefully it never gets reversed and we keep winning.”

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,