Breaking: Reviled NHL owner says he won't let his star player go to the Olympics.

Unpopular owner just got even less popular.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Breaking: Reviled NHL owner says he won't let his star player go to the Olympics.

An already unpopular National Hockey League owner has just made a statement that is likely to drive down popularity down even further.

NHL participation has been a hot button issue for the past several months for hockey fans, and on Friday Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk made his position on the matter crystal clear. Asked if he would allow his star player Erik Karlsson to participate in the games should the NHL choose not to attend the Olympic games in 2018, Melnyk left no room for doubt.

“No, no, it would be no, a flat no,” Melnyk said as per Sens insider Bruce Garrioch. “I talked to (former Senators captain Daniel) Alfredsson about it and he understands the player would want to (attend), but I’m not going to risk that."

In defense of Melnyk, he is haunted by one such decision he made in the past, one he genuinely believes cost him and the city he represents as an NHL owner a Stanley Cup Championship.

[pub]

“I had a Cup in 2006 parked for me and waiting for me,” Melnyk said. “We were arguing about whose name was going to go on the (Cup). We were there and what happens? Hasek. I’m not going to do that.

“Can you imagine if (Karlsson) goes and he gets a permanent injury? You know what I’m saying? That’s my view,” Melnyk said.

While we can certainly empathize with Melnyk's point here, we still don't expect this news to be well received.

Source: