Senators owner objects to being blamed for empty playoff seats

Eugene Melnyk took it upon himself to write a letter to a newspaper disputing what he feels was an unfair analysis of the Ottawa Senators' playoff ticket-selling woes.

Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun wrote Wednesday that the team owner was primarily to blame for the fact not every game this postseason has sold out. The article also ran in the Ottawa Citizen.

Brennan opined, "The only logical explanation for fans negatively stealing so much of the spotlight from the Senators' unexpectedly wondrous ride through the playoffs has to be a growing, general contempt for the team's owner, for one reason or another."

Hogwash, Melnyk retorted Thursday, via the Ottawa Citizen:

If someone chooses to put the blame on (me) for this reality, well they simply have no clue how hard I work, how passionate I am, and how committed I am to the Ottawa Senators and their success on the ice, off the ice and in our community.

We could debate for days on why things are the way they are. I will only say that I, along with our entire organization, remain steadfastly committed to working hard on numerous fronts to make the Ottawa Senators an even bigger part of this city and equally important - to our country.

Melnyk added winning the Stanley Cup has always been his primary focus as he tries to ensure a competitive hockey team takes the ice in Ottawa "with the resources we have."

He added, "Our playoff success this year is no one person's doing. I couldn't possibly name all of the people in one letter. And similarly, if there are empty seats in our building during these playoffs, it is certainly unfair to point the blame squarely on any one person - especially me."

Melnyk encouraged fans to savor the team's playoff run, which could end Thursday in Game 7 against Pittsburgh - or extend to the franchise's second modern-day Stanley Cup Final appearance.