Sens owner Melnyk claims local politician called him 'a f-----g loser'
Warning: Story contains coarse language
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is alleging a member of Ontario's provincial Parliament spewed a profanity-laced rant to his face at a Rolling Stones concert just outside of Barrie, Ontario on Saturday, according to the Ottawa Sun's Blair Crawford.
"So I'm just there, we've got families and friends in a small group and I'm surrounded by people from Ottawa - and I see from the corner of my eye somebody trying to bust through," Melnyk told the Sun in a phone interview Thursday.
"I'm thinking, 'OK, might be a crazed fan' and that's fine. I've gotten used to it. And all of a sudden it's this woman and she yells at me, 'Do you know who I am?'
"I can't place her so I said, 'I'm sorry. No.' And she yells, 'I am your minister and you're a fucking piece of shit and you're a fucking loser.'"
Lisa MacLeod, the Conservative party Ottawa-based MPP who approached Melnyk, did not provide an account of the exchange to The Sun, but she did take to Twitter on Friday morning to address it.
Let me set the record straight, I gave @MelnykEugene some feedback at the Rolling Stones concert and I apologized to him for being so blunt. I have serious concerns about the state of our beloved Ottawa Senators! We need to get our team back on the road to winning the cup!
— Lisa MacLeod (@MacLeodLisa) July 5, 2019
Melnyk claimed he didn't recognize MacLeod but said he was familiar with Susan Truppe, MacLeod's director of public affairs and deputy chief of staff, standing a few meters behind her. Truppe had introduced herself to Melnyk and handed him her card just an hour before the incident.
"So I said, 'Are you Lisa MacLeod? I just met your…' I didn't even get to finish my sentence and she said 'Fuck you' and turned around and walked away," Melnyk continued.
"I see Susan Truppe and she just kind of shrugs and puts her hands up, and they all just walked away," he said.
"I'm 'Whoa. What just happened?'"
Truppe told the Sun she saw Melnyk and MacLeod talking but didn't hear what was said.
"I don't even know what he's talking about," Truppe said. "I certainly didn't hear that. I remember watching what it was, but I didn't hear that whatsoever."
Melnyk said he wrote a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, telling him he has a "loose cannon out there," referring to MacLeod. Melnyk added he later received a call from Ford regarding the incident.
On Friday night, MacLeod apologized for the exchange and said she spoke to Melnyk.
I want to be categorical about my exchange with @MelnykEugene at the Rolling Stones concert. I regret my inappropriate remarks and apologize for them. I have spoken with Mr. Melnyk, offered to meet him and would be happy to do so anytime.
— Lisa MacLeod (@MacLeodLisa) July 6, 2019
The Senators owner responded by insisting in an email to Global News' Travis Dhanraj that he received "no phone call other than the flippant one (Thursday). Don't know what anyone is talking about."
Melnyk has made headlines for all the wrong reasons as his team has toiled in the NHL's basement over the last couple of seasons. MacLeod, meanwhile, hasn't been perfect herself. She was criticized for her handling of the provincial autism file and was recently demoted in a shuffling of Ford's cabinet.