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Entries with the tag: eugene+melnyk
Will Ottawa Owner Get His Money Back?
by Paul on 01/26/12 at 06:54 PM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
Eugene Melnyk will finally face off with Dany Heatley in court once the two sides can agree on a date.
League sources confirmed Thursday, almost three years after filing a grievance to get the $4-million bonus the Senators owner paid to Heatley on July 1, 2009, the case is inching closer to being heard.
Independent arbitrator George Nicolau had agreed to a March 23 hearing in New York, but the date didn’t work for either side and is being rescheduled — soon.
As first reported by QMI Agency in November, 2009, Melnyk filed the grievance shortly after Heatley refused to lift his no-movement clause and accept a deal to the Edmonton Oilers (for Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid).
Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Dany+Heatley, Eugene+Melnyk,
All Eugene Melnyk
by Paul on 09/15/11 at 07:54 AM ET
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from Wayne Scanlan of Senators Extra a the Ottawa Citizen,
WS So, what are your expectations for this season, for this hockey team, given all the changes.
EM Well, I tell you, it’s changed pretty dramatically over the past three to four months, now that we’re starting to see exactly what we have, because a lot of these rookies, and prospects are suddenly coming into their own and you’re starting to see separation – what’s real and not real. Who can play now and not play now. It’s a great problem to have, in that we have so much depth, young depth, that it’s gonna pay spades down the road as these players develop.
But to answer your question on expectations, what I expect is that you’re going to see a completely different attitude, not just with the players but with the fans as well. Because, and I noticed this from almost my second or third year there, that there was an expectation that ‘you better make the playoffs’ and it got so crazy, that you had to get into the second round and play three games just to break even.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,
Ottawa’s “Death Spiral”
by Alanah McGinley on 04/06/11 at 12:13 PM ET
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Some quotes from Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, speaking yesterday on Toronto Fan590. From Chris Nichols at Sportsnet.ca :
“I’ve been thinking about this since the beginning of the year, since things started going south for us,” said Melnyk, who will be in Ottawa Thursday for the final regular-season home game, against the Montreal Canadiens.
“I thought that on paper, we had a team that would easily go into the playoffs, the discussion was how deep would we go.
“Something went terribly wrong. To pinpoint that on one thing is impossible. I’ve lost sleep. Bryan has lost sleep and Cory has lost sleep. There’s not one thing you can point to say: ‘A-ha, this is what happened.’ It was the perfect storm, everything that could go wrong did.” [...]
“It was really tough. It’s unbearable to finally admit you’re a loser,” said Melnyk. “Once you are in that death spiral, it’s over. One month before the trade deadline, we decided we’ve got to pack it in and rebuild.
more on Ottawa’s re-building and other topics
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Take The ASG For What It Is
by @DaveDavisHockey on 01/31/11 at 09:24 AM ET
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Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has promised that NHL All-Star weekend 2012 in Canada’s capital will be a “once-in-a-lifetime, weekend long celebration of all that is great about hockey, the NHL and our city.”
Considering the wonderful job done by the folks in Raleigh who just staged a great show for the fans this past weekend, those are some big words.
But, much to the dismay of intolerant hockey purists and shortsighted all-star game detractors everywhere, one thing Melnyk hasn’t promised is a David Backes vs. Zdeno Chara slugfest.
We’re a year away from the festivities at Scotiabank Place, which means we’re a year away from the obligatory week long bashfest of the event by some mainstream media people who apparently weren’t required to take business and marketing classes in journalism school.
Filed in: NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Alexei+Zhitnik, Eugene+Melnyk, Gary+Bettman, Jeremy+Roenick, NHL+All-Star+Game+2011, NHL+All-Star+Game+2012,
Ray: Melnyk Upset By Murray’s Refusal To Coach
by @DaveDavisHockey on 01/25/11 at 06:15 PM ET
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Rob Ray can be seen nowadays on Buffalo Sabres television broadcasts as an in-game analyst. Unlike many players-turned-broadcasters, the former Sabres agitator has no qualms about delving out his opinions.
He also still has friends and contacts in Ottawa resulting from his time there at the end of his playing career - and he was more than willing to share some opinions and insight regarding the Senators coaching situation, and the status of the working relationship between Brian Murray and Eugene Melnyk, during his radio segment on WGR-550 today:
“They’ve lost a spark and I think a big part of it is the guy behind the bench. They really, from the beginning, never bought into Cory Clouston. And, you know, they had a hard time with him in the beginning, and you know, they kind of gave into it a little bit for a while, but I just don’t think he has what it takes to keep them.”
“I’ve talked to people up there - Melnyk wants Murray to go behind the bench to finish the year coaching, and he refuses to do it, and I think it’s causing a major turmoil amongst ownership and the general manager that he’s not willing to do that, and I think you may see at the end of the year that the coach and general manager may be moved out of there.”
Click here for the entire interview; for comments on the Sens jump to 9:15.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Murray, Corey+Clouston, Eugene+Melnyk, Ottawa+Senators, Rob+Ray, Senators+coaching+situation,
Evening Line
by Paul on 11/27/10 at 06:32 PM ET
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“The bottom line is, we could have won yesterday. We should have won yesterday,” It didn’t go our way for a number of reasons. But we’ll have our day in the sun. I’m telling you, just watch this team.”
-Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. Read more on Melnyk by Rob Brodie of Senators.com.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,
Senators Plan To Tinker With The Team
by Paul on 05/01/10 at 06:41 AM ET
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,
“I think we have to tinker a little bit,” Melnyk said from his Barbados home. “I have a meeting with Bryan next week about how we’re going to accomplish that with things that are going to be difficult to get done under the (salary) cap.”
During the wide-ranging, 15-minute discussion, Melnyk said he isn’t sure what the future holds for No. 1 centre Jason Spezza, who had a poor playoffs and whose no-movement clause kicks in on July 1.
Asked if the club was going to spend another summer trying to trade a star — after the Dany Heatley saga of 2009 — Melnyk put the ball in Murray’s court. Spezza has five years left on a contract carrying a cap hit of $7 million per season.
“That’s going to be Bryan’s decision. There’s a little bit of misconception about how hands-on I am. I keep myself knowledgeable,” said Melnyk. “But at the end of the day, the people that I hire make the decisions because they’re accountable ... and it’s their responsibility.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,
Sens Top Players Need To Be Better
by Paul on 12/06/09 at 07:49 PM ET
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from Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen via the National Post,
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has joined the chorus of team officials asking for more from the team’s top players.
“It’s obvious what we need,” Melnyk said Sunday. “The elite players have to start to play their best. Once they do that, I think we can be as competitive as ever. Hopefully that happens fairly quickly and we’re back to where we were at the start of the season.”
Melnyk, who spoke to general manager Bryan Murray Saturday night during the Senators’ 3-2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, did not mention forwards Alex Kovalev and Jason Spezza by name, but they are clearly the leaders.
“It’s the whole group,” Melnyk said. “Some show up some nights and some don’t. It’s the elite players, that’s basically it, but I’m really pleased to see guys like [Mike] Fisher step up to the plate as well as he has.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: 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.
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 08:07 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.”
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 06:06 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.
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 12:19 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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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 06:48 AM ET
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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.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Eugene+Melnyk,
