The Ottawa Senators have just announced that owner Eugene Melnyk has passed away after an illness. He was 62 years old.
It is with great sadness that the family of Eugene Melnyk and the Ottawa Senators hockey organization announce his passing on March 28, 2022 after an illness he faced with determination and courage. https://t.co/MrHsTvu7sz pic.twitter.com/DOZrJcD26e
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 29, 2022
Eugene Melnyk Passes Away
Melnyk has been an owner of a Canadian sports franchise since the early 2000s, purchasing the St Michael’s Majors of the OHL in 2001, which played in his alma mater of St. Michaels College School. He then purchased the then-Mississauga IceDogs and sold them to an owner who relocated them to St Catharines, Ontario. The Majors would become the Mississauga St Michaels Majors before becoming the Mississauga Steelheads in 2012.
In 2003, Melnyk set his sights on the NHL by saving the Ottawa Senators from going under. He purchased the Senators and their arena, which was known at the time as the Corel Centre. It is known as the Canadian Tire Centre nowadays.
Also, Melnyk owned the Belleville Senators, the Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate. He purchased the team in 2016 from the city of Binghamton. After being purchased by Melnyk, the team agreed to an eight-year lease.
During his tenure as owner of the Senators, the team saw a resurgence. This included a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, and a trip to the conference finals a year later, coming so close to a second trip to the finals.
In addition, Brady Tkachuk tweeted his condolences, and how grateful he was for Melnyk’s contributions.
From all of us here at LWOS, we send our deepest condolences to the family of Eugene Melnyk, and the Ottawa Senators organization. He will be dearly missed by the entire hockey community.
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