Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk Passes Away at Age 62

 

Late Monday night, the Ottawa Senators announced that owner Eugene Melnyk passed away. He succumbed to an illness that he has been fighting for years at age 62. 

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

Melnyk previously was close to death back in 2015, when in need of a liver transplant. He was then saved by a Senators fan who was a perfect match and agreed to donate his liver in hopes that Melnyk could continue to help deliver a Stanley Cup to Ottawa for the first time since 1927. Unfortunately, he never was able to fulfill that promise but he was around a big playoff run by the Senators in 2017 that took them one goal away from the Stanley Cup Finals.

Melnyk purchased the team back in 2003, at a time where former team owner Rod Bryden had filed for bankruptcy in January of that year. In order to save the team and keep them in Ottawa, he made a deal with the creditors and agreed to pay $130 millon US to purchase the Canadian Tire centre and the NHL franchise. Prior to him stepping in, there was reportedly multiple American investors who wanted to buy the team and move it south of the border. However, Melnyk wouldn't let that happen as a proud Canadian who felt the team deserved to stay in Canada. 

Prior to owning the Senators, Melnyk a Toronto native, made his fortune as the founder of Biovail Corp., which is a highly successful pharmaceutical company. He also owned the St. Michael's Majors of the OHL. His biggest passion however, may have been horse racing. Prior to stepping away from the world of horse racing in 2013,  he had owned more than 500 horses in his lifetime. Melnyk was also inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame for all his work in the sport.

While not everyone loved Melnyk as an owner, he did manage to keep the Senators in Ottawa after they were close to moving to the US. That is something that will live on long after his passing and must be appreciated by all.  As for the ownership of the team, it will remain in the Melnyk family for the moment.