Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melynk dead at 62

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melynk has died from an illness, the team announced Monday night. He was 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,” the statement read.

Melnyk, who was born in Toronto to parents from Ukraine, was the owner, governor and chairman of the Senators after purchasing the NHL club for $92 million in 2003. He also owned the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League and previously the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League.

Under his watch, the Senators reached the Stanley Cup finals in 2007 and more recently, played in the Eastern Conference finals in 2017.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called Melnyk a passionate and committed owner of the NHL franchise.

“The words ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ define the man who has owned the Ottawa Senators since 2003. Whether it was in the boardroom with his fellow governors, at the rink with his beloved Senators or in the community with his philanthropy, he cared deeply about the game, about his team and about bettering the lives of those in need, particularly underserved children, organ donation and, most recently, with his commitment to his parents’ home country of Ukraine,” said Bettman.

Melnyk loved to spar with Leafs fans, and once famously tried to ban them from the arena at the height of the Battle of Ontario, at a time when the Leafs were consistently eliminating the Senators from the playoffs.

“Mr. Melnyk provided me, my teammates, and many Sens players who came before us with an opportunity to live out our dream,” captain Brady Tkachuk posted on Twitter. “The Ottawa community will miss you greatly. Condolences to your family.”

Tributes poured in on social media for Melnyk, who had a complicated relationship with Sens fans.

“Sad about Melnyk. He helped hockey be in Ottawa,” said one Twitter user. “He will always be grateful for what he has done for the city and the team.”

“Melnyk is the reason I am the diehard Sens fan I am today. The amount of games that I have been able to go to with my dad having season tickets would not be a thing if Melnyk didn’t save the team in 2003,” wrote another.

Melnyk, who had an estimated net worth of $1.21 billion, was the founder of Canadian pharmaceutical company Biovail Corp and, more recently, was chairman and chief executive of Neurolign, a fledgling medical device company, and chairman of Clean Beauty Collective, a boutique company that produces ethically sourced products.

He supported numerous charitable causes, including St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Help Us Help the Children and St. Michael’s College School in Toronto, his alma mater. A resident of Barbados, Melnyk founded the Providence School for pre-kindergarten to Grade 10, where he served as chairman of trustees and the board of management.

Through the Senators Community Foundation, the charitable organization invested more than $100 million to support charities and community programs in Ottawa that help children and youth. He was the lead donor of Anna House, a child-care facility in New York, and Roger Neilson House, a pediatric palliative care facility in Ottawa named after a beloved former Sens coach. He hosted Skate for Kids at the Canadian Tire Center every year, where he donated hockey equipment and jerseys to hundreds of underserved children.

Melnyk was also an honorary colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces and a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. As a horse racing breeder, Melnyk was twice named Canada’s Outstanding Owner. His horses won many of the sport’s most coveted prizes, including the Canadian Triple Crown, the Travers Stakes in Saratoga and the Gold Cup in Barbados.

“The businessman, sports franchise owner and philanthropist died peacefully surrounded by his family and will be fondly remembered by his many friends and associates,” the team and family statement continued.

Melnyk is survived by his mother, Vera, his sister, Lydia, his companion, Sharilyne, and his children, Anna and Olivia.