OTTAWA, Ontario — Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators, has died from an illness, the team said Monday night. He was 62.
The team announced Melnyk’s death with a statement from his family, which discussed “an illness he faced with determination and courage.”
Melnyk had a liver transplant in 2015 after a public campaign for a donor. He has owned the Senators since 2003 when he bought the NHL club for $92 million. Ottawa reached the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.
The Toronto native has been involved in other businesses across Canada and had an estimated net worth of $1.21 billion as of 2010. Melnyk bought the Senators after Rod Bryden’s deal to retake the franchise was unsuccessful.
“The National Hockey League mourns the loss of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The words ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ define the man who has owned the Ottawa Senators since 2003.
“Although he was successful in business, it was our game and his Senators that he was most passionate about. Eugene was often outspoken, but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots, and he loved nothing more than to don a Senators sweater and cheer on his beloved team. On behalf of the entire National Hockey League, I offer my deepest sympathy to Eugene’s daughters, Anna and Olivia, his extended family and everyone who has benefited from his generosity.”
Captain of the Senators Brady Tkachuk said in a tweet: “Mr. Melnyk gave me, my teammates and many Sens players who came before us the opportunity to live our dream. The Ottawa community will miss you greatly. My condolences to your family.”
Melnyk was also a successful Thoroughbred horse racing breeder and was twice named Canada’s Top Owner. His horses won all three stages of the Canadian Triple Crown, including Archers Bay, who took the Queen’s Plate and the Prince of Wales Stakes in 1998 en route to becoming the Canadian 3-year-old male champion.
In 2013, Melnyk reduced his horse racing operation and switched from breeding to buying and racing yearlings instead. Melnyk was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2017.