Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk dead at 62 after battle with illness
The hockey world is in shock after the Ottawa Senators announced owner, governor and chairman Eugene Melnyk died Monday at the age of 62.
Melnyk died “peacefully surrounded by his family,” according to a eulogy shared on the NHL’s website, which said he “faced (his illness) with determination and courage.” Details of his illness were not immediately made public.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Melnyk was born to Ukrainian parents and was the founder of Biovail Corp. which was once the largest pharmaceutical company in Canada.
His love of the game of hockey led him to establish Capital Sports & Entertainment which in 2003 purchased the Ottawa Senators for US$92-million. While his relationship was tenuous at times with his fanbase, Melnyk’s Senators reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 and were one game short of reaching the finals in 2017.
“Mr. Melnyk provided me, my teammates, and many Sens players who came before us with an opportunity to live out our dream,” wrote Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on Twitter. “The Ottawa community will miss you greatly. Condolences to your family.”
In 2015, Melnyk went public with a plea in search of a suitable donor for a liver transplant, something he later called a second chance at life.
“I feel as fortunate as anybody in the world,” Melnyk told Postmedia in 2020. “Rarely do you get this kind of second chance. My prognosis at the time, they were very specific, they said I had eight days left to go and there no more options.
“We had to do a public appeal and if I didn’t own a hockey team I’d be buried a long time ago because we did go out to fans and we had over 2,000 responses.”
In a statement, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said: “Eugene was often outspoken but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team.”
A philanthropist throughout his life, Melnyk was most recently the first NHL owner to speak out in support of Ukraine in their war with Russia. Melnyk also committed to providing support to Ukraine through 50/50 draws via the Senators Community Foundation, amongst other systems.
Melnyk leaves behind two daughters, Emma and Olivia.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.