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Greg WyshynskiESPN
From chants to billboards, Ottawa Senators fans have expressed a desire to have owner Eugene Melnyk sell the franchise. A report on Thursday that he was in talks to sell the team was met with enthusiasm, but was quickly tempered by the NHL’s insistence that he doesn’t want to sell the team.
The Fourth Period, an NHL news and rumors site, reported that “a well-placed source with direct knowledge of the situation” confirmed that Melnyk “has engaged in negotiations to sell the franchise.” That includes an offer to sell the team that was rejected.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Melnyk shared news of the offer with the NHL Board of Governors at their meeting in Las Vegas last week.
“We were aware that an offer was going to be made — but that, in and of itself, is not unusual,” said Daly in an email to ESPN. “That doesn’t mean Melnyk wants to sell. And, in point of fact, he doesn’t. So, there’s not really any story here.”
Melnyk has been steadfast in claiming he’s not looking to sell the Senators, telling the Ottawa Sun in December 2017 that “I am NOT selling the team, period,” when there were reports the team was for sale.
“(The) only thing I can think of is our routine refinancing of our debt involves a financial ‘roadshow’. Virtually every major Canadian, international and American bank have attended one of over 20 presentations in Toronto, Ottawa and New York. This involves accountants, bankers and lawyers. I am not directly involved in this process except for the occasional visit and greetings. Hence, where the sale story must have come from,” said Melynk to the Sun.
On Wednesday, the Senators announced the completion of $135 million of financing on a Premier Term Debt rank for a six-year period with a consortium of financial institutions.
There have been rumors for years that Guy Laliberte, a billionaire co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, has been interested in buying the Senators in an effort to develop the LeBreton Flats area of downtown Ottawa.
In May, former Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson caused a stir when he told Ottawa reporter Susan Sherring that he and Mayor Jim Watson “talked about the future of the Senators and of its ownership and we hope we get a new owner.”