‘Laughing stock of league’
As Senators become punchline, at what point does NHL step in?
A gong show, a high-wire act, a house of cards ready to fall.
Pick just about any expression you want to describe the sad, sorry state of the Ottawa Senators. Chances are it has been uttered somewhere else around the NHL.
“They’re the laughing stock of the league,” Ray Ferraro, the best TV colour commentator in the business, told a radio station this week. “There’s nobody more comical, in a sad way, than Ottawa is now.”
Owner Eugene Melnyk can wail against his perceptions of negative media all he wants, but Ferraro simply went public with the general consensus. You rub your eyes and wonder how could all this possibly be happening to the same team, a cloud that gets darker by the day.
From the ugliness of the Melinda versus Monika cyber-bullying saga to the harassment allegations against assistant general manager Randy Lee in Buffalo to Melnyk’s shrinking front office to the continued uncertainty surrounding the LeBreton Flats arena project, it’s a tire fire out of control.
We’ll get to the on-ice product (and, oh yes, the loud suggestions of a looming garage sale of players) in a moment, but for now, the Senators’ biggest need is a fire department, a damage control team to restore some trust with its dwindling season ticket base.
At what point is the NHL forced to step in to address the black eye, pushing owner Eugene Melnyk to sell the franchise — or at the very least to bring in a deeper-pocketed partner — to help with the chaos? The last time we checked, Andre Desmarais of the Devcore Group and Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, were waiting in the wings, anxious for the opportunity to put their stamp on the new arena development.
There is some precedent here. Sort of.
For newer Senators fans, let’s take you back a generation to 199596, the most chaotic season in franchise history. That campaign included three coaches, 59 losses, two general managers, two home arenas and endless turmoil.
There was no ugly public feud between players’ wives, of course. But the year did begin with Alexei Yashin AWOL in Switzerland in one of his many contract disputes and with Bryan Berard, the club’s first overall draft pick from the previous summer, walking out of the mess in training camp, never to wear a Senators jersey again.
Then, as now, the debt payments were mounting, with owner Rod Bryden unable to get out from under the rising tide of bills, including completing the $188 million cost of building what was originally called The Palladium.
The NHL, run by the then freshfaced Gary Bettman, certainly played a role in leading Bryden to the Ogden Corporation, whose business included the management of arena facilities. Ogden agreed to guarantee the mounting loans — in exchange for a contract to manage the building.
It was a lifeline for the franchise that had earlier rebuffed a $20 million offer to move to Anaheim and was the punchline for endless jokes around the circuit.
The Senators eventually moved into their new digs in January 1996, saying goodbye to the Civic Centre.
Before that happened, though, the hiccups included the firing of original coach Rick Bowness and the hiring of Dave Allison. Then came the firing of general manager Randy Sexton in favour of Pierre Gauthier, followed by the firing of Allison and the hiring of Jacques Martin. In addition to hiring Martin, Gauthier’s most significant move that season was trading Berard in a package for Wade Redden. Yashin returned after Christmas.
Throughout it all, the one glimmer of hope was the emergence of Daniel Alfredsson, who managed to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, despite playing on a team that won only 18 games.
Which brings us back to the present. Alfredsson, who was quoted as saying the team needs a new owner only a few weeks back, looms as a potential piece of a future ownership structure.
For now, though, Melnyk is overseeing a franchise that is struggling to get through each day without stepping into a new pile of bad public relations.
Criticize general manager Pierre Dorion for his past deals if you want, but pity him in his efforts to get a solid trade return for Mike Hoffman amid the sordid details that this newspaper reported Tuesday. In case you were living under a puck, Melinda Karlsson, Erik Karlsson’s wife, alleged a campaign of online harassment by Hoffman’s fiancée, Monika Caryk.
Regardless of when and where Hoffman moves, it also appears increasingly likely that Karlsson won’t be sticking around, either.
Barring a change from his words in April, Dorion will offer Karlsson a contract extension July 1. At that point, the Senators captain will take a look at the contract terms and at the future outlook for the franchise. If he doesn’t like what he sees (is there anyone who does, at this point?), Dorion will be open to trade offers.
If Karlsson goes out the door, there’s increased speculation that a full rebuild will take place. Any players with substantial contracts are vulnerable to be next.
The Senators are a circus right now. Somewhere in the back of Bettman’s mind, though, you have to think he’s wondering if circus people could help save the franchise.