After the ceremony, thousands of spectators at the venue gave a warm welcome to the 62-year-old.

There is nothing we can do to honor Mr. Melnick enough. Today’s game for his family. He has two daughters who no longer have a father and this is difficult. The least we can do is pay tribute to himcoach DJ Smith explained in a pre-match press conference.

One thing is for sure, the Senators have prepared for an emotional day for this first home game since the news broke.

Players understand the magnitude of the moment. They are giving their best in every game and we will try to be particularly assertive today. We like to score first and keep our footing on the pedal. We’ll give fans 60 minutes of our best hockey gamethe Ottawa training commander insisted.

DJ Smith talks about how important Eugene Melnick is to senators.

Photo: Radio Canada/Alexander Behne

Detroit is somehow the perfect opponent for such a meeting, because Team Michigan has the worst defensive brigade in the National Hockey LeagueNHL.

Only on Friday, the Senators beat the Red Wings 5-2, thanks in part to a hat-trick from Matthew Joseph. The players will be keen to put in a similar performance on Sunday afternoon.

“He won’t be there to see his vision come true.”

Since Monday, several members of the Senators Organization and the Ottawa community have offered their condolences to Melnick’s family, noting the importance the businessman has had for the National Capital Region over his lifetime.

In the eyes of DJ Smith, the colorful owner’s family can be proud of the legacy he left behind.

People point out that Mr. Melnyk saved the franchise, but his ultimate goal was to bring the Stanley Cup back here. He won’t be there to see his vision come true, but I think the necessary pieces are there with the young group we have now.Saucepan.

Eugene Melnik’s relationship with audiences of senators was not always rosy. His decision to begin reconstruction during the 2017-2018 season, when the team reached the conference final the previous year, had been particularly absorbed by Ottawa’s most ardent fans.

I think it took a lot of courage to make such a decision. Let’s think where our young players will be in three years. I think we can be compared to the Colorado Avalanche and Lightning From Tampa Bay before recent reconstructionRelative Coach Senators.