Ottawa Senators fans said goodbye to the late owner Eugene Melnyk Sunday afternoon before the game against the Detroit Red Wings at the Canadian Tire Center. A ceremony in honor of Mr. Melnyk, whose death was announced on Monday, was arranged and a video recap of his life was shown on the amphitheater’s giant screen.
In the memory of Mr. Melnyk ❤️ pic.twitter.com/MA1TqUSmCq
– Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 3, 2022
Following the ceremony, thousands of viewers on the site gave loud applause to Mr. Melnyk, who is 62 years old.
We can do nothing enough to honor Mr. Melnyk. The fight is now focused on his family. He has two daughters who are fatherless and poor. The least we can do is pay tribute to himhead coach DJ Smith explained at a press conference before the match.
One thing is certain, the Senators have been preparing for a day full of emotion for this first home game since the news was made public.
Players know the size of the moment. They give their maximum in every game and we will try to be particularly determined now. We want to score first and keep our foot on the pedal. We will give fans 60 minutes of our best hockeyinsisted the training pilot in Ottawa.
Detroit is in a way an ideal opponent for such a conference because the Michigan team has the worst defensive brigade in the NHL. Just Friday, the Senators beat the Red Wings 5-2, thanks to a hat trick from Mathieu Joseph.
Sunday afternoon, it was Josh Norris’ turn to score three goals as DJ Smith’s men secured another 5-2 win over the Red Wings.
“He was not there to see his vision come true”
Since Monday, several members of the Ottawa Senators and community organization have offered their condolences to the Melnyk family, citing the entrepreneur’s importance for the National Capital Region in his life.
In DJ Smith’s eyes, the colorful owner’s family can be proud of the legacy he left behind.
People point out that Mr. Melnyk saved the franchise, but his ultimate goal is to bring the Stanley Cup back to it. He wasn’t there to see his vision come true, but I think the necessary elements are present in the young group we have at the moment.he argued.
Eugene Melnyk’s relationship with Senators fans isn’t always good. His decision to begin a rebuild during the 2017-2018 season, when the team reached the conference finals last year, was particularly undeniable by Ottawa’s most ardent fans.
I think it takes courage to make such a decision. Let’s imagine what will happen to our young players in three years. I think we can be compared to the Colorado Avalanche teams and the Lightning of Tampa Bay before their most recent rebuildrelativized the head coach of the Senators.
Source: Radio-Canada