Eugene Melnyk, the Ottawa Senators’ owner since 2003, died Monday of an illness.
He was 62 years old at the time.
Capital Sports & Entertainment was founded by Melnyk in 2003. Canadian Tire Centre and Sensplex properties in Ottawa are also owned and operated by the business and its affiliates.
The Senators reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2007, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks, and the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, losing in seven games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Melnyk was also a horse breeder, and in 2007 he was crowned Canada’s Most Outstanding Owner. The Canadian Triple Crown, the Travers Stakes in Saratoga, and the Gold Cup in Barbados were all won by his horses.
He was the primary supporter of Anna House, a daycare center in Elmont, New York, and Roger Nielson House, a pediatric palliative care center in Ottawa named after the former Senators coach.
Eugene Melnyk funeral, burial service, pictures, date, time, venue
Despite funeral arrangements have yet to be made public, the Belleville Senators will have further information as it becomes available.
