Sens fans are expressing their displeasure with Eugene Melnyk in an extremely bizarre way

BarDown Staff

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk with Erik Karlsson (left) and Borje Salming (right). , Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

Things are starting to get ugly in the city of Ottawa.

Just one season after an Eastern Conference Final appearance, the city’s hockey team is selling at the deadline. Though they received a solid return, the Senators parted ways with ones of its top forwards in an attempt to rebuild the franchise. For months, rumours have also swirled around the possibility of trading coveted defenceman Erik Karlsson, and some fans are starting to get the feeling that the roster could look entirely different following February 26^th’s deadline.

#TradeCentre: How big of an impact will #DerickBrassard make in the Penguins lineup? 🤔

A post shared by TSN (@tsn_official) on Feb 23, 2018 at 12:03pm PST

Many fans have found themselves more focused on events happening off of the ice as they have on it. Team owner Eugene Melnyk has repeatedly expressed the team could relocate if the market does not “prove itself.” To make matters more frustrating for fans, Melnyk anointed himself CEO of the organization after Tom Anselmi, who recently held the position, departed.

Melnyk on relocation: "If it doesn't look good here, it could look good somewhere else. But I'm not suggesting that right now. If you open a grocery store and nobody comes, but one opens two blocks down and there’s a line outside, where are you going to have your store?"
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 16, 2017

Ottawa residents are fed up with the 58-year-old and are making their feelings well known through a GoFundMe campaign with the hope of posting a #MelnykOut billboard outside of the Canaidan Tire Centre. Their story on the website reads as follows:

“The Ottawa Senators franchise is dying.

Eugene Melnyk has decided that he would rather tear the team down and sell it for spare parts than admit he can no longer afford to run it effectively.

Sens fans and the city of Ottawa need to step up to save a pillar of this community.

As the media haven't been effective in telling the fans story, we have to do it ourselves.

This money will go towards a billboard outside the Canadian Tire Centre to let Eugene Melynk know that we have had enough.

Any funds raised above and beyond the needs of the campaign will be donated to the Ottawa Senators Foundation.

UPDATE: we're adding a full-page ad in the Ottawa Sun to the campaign goals courtesy of the work of @ryanclassic.”

No holding back there.

Enough is enough. We need #MelnykOut. Donate to this Go Fund Me campaign so we can bypass the media and let #Sens fans voices be heard.https://t.co/jjXhs3L2dT
— #MelnykOut Spencer Callaghan (@Senturion) February 23, 2018

Oh, and did I mention? #MelnykOut pic.twitter.com/5L9vlUOzSr
— Rocket 57 (@Rocket57) February 23, 2018

Surprisingly (or maybe not), the #MelnykOut campaign has already raised nearly $4,000 in 10 hours from 169 different donors. The group can expect to exceed expectations, as all proceeds will be donated to the Ottawa Senators Foundation. As Ottawa continues their descent towards the bottom of the league’s standings, at least fans will have something to look at and smile about on their way into the Canadian Tire Centre.

(H/T r/Hockey)