| 15 June 2009
After spending thirteen years with the organization, the Ottawa Citizen is reporting that Eugene Melnyk has decided not to renew Roy Mlakar's contract as the President and CEO of Senators Sport and Entertainment. With Mlakar's deal set to expire on July 1st, it has been announced that his position will be assumed by Cyril Leeder and Bryan Murray will have his responsibilites expand beyond his GM duties, as he has also been named as the Vice President of the organization.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't usually care about the business aspect of the organization but since Mlakar's been here, there have been whispers or conspiracies that he's had some kind of influence into the PR side of the personnel moves in Ottawa and he has played a large role in protecting specific players from the media and their criticisms. Whether or not these accusations have any substance is another thing, but they certainly are intriguing.
Remember that Doug Lewis article that ran in the Citizen and gave in-depth details of why Zdeno Chara was allowed to leave the organization? It's particularly interesting to note that while Bryan Murray and a number of players encouraged then-GM, John Muckler to retain Z, he instead opted to sign Wade Redden. Given Redden's (fuck, I hate saying this) involvement in the community and his prominence within the local charity scene -- a characteristic that Mlakar shares -- some fans have convinced themselves that Mlakar was in John Muckler's ear.
Personally, I don't really care about Mlakar or the fact that he's been let go. My only experience with him is second hand knowledge and involves a letter my late father once wrote as a season ticket holder to the organization. Originally, I was under the impression that the letter was written by my uncle who had season tickets adjacent to my dad's but according to my mother, that's not the case. Anyways, I digress. The context of the letter was that my father was extremely disappointed with the organization when they decided to bring back Shaun Van Allen for a second tour of duty. So much so that he felt compelled to write a letter that outlined how awful Vanner was and how the Senators, a young team on the rise, didn't need him to reach the next level. Well, after a short period of time, my father received some correspondence via Roy Mlakar. According to Mlakar's letter (which if I find, I will scan and publish), my father was too negative. Rather than writing something like,
Dear Mr. NicholsWhile we value your insight as a long-time, loyal season's ticket holder and appreciate the obvious passion you have regarding the Ottawa Senators, at this present time, we respectfully disagree with your sentiments regarding Shaun Van Allen.
Instead, he used the letter as an opportunity to tell my father that he wasn't a real fan. From a business standpoint, it made sense at the time. The team wasn't at their apex and season ticket numbers weren't very high. Why not alienate and anger a ticket holder who had supported the team from day one. My father was this close to cancelling his his tickets but decided against it. He loved the team too much and was too emotionally invested.
It's ironic though. As the anti-Mlakar fans are probably enjoying today's news, the anti-Murray faction of the Sens Army is probably lamenting his relationship with the Euge.
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