Sports

Eugene is a passionate sports fan focusing much of his efforts on hockey, horse racing and amateur sport development.

A Passion for Sport

Eugene acquired Capital Sports & Entertainment in 2003, a company which owns and operates the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators hockey club. The company also owns and operates Canadian Tire Centre, a mixed-use centre offering 630,000 square feet of commercial, office, recreational and retail uses; and Capital Sports Management Inc. – a recreation facility design and management company, currently operating the Bell Sensplex, Cavanagh Sensplex and Richcraft Sensplex in Ottawa, Ontario through public private partnerships with the City of Ottawa.

Eugene has also been a successful horse racing breeder. In 2001, he purchased the prestigious Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida, one of the state's leading breeding operations. After renaming it to Winding Oaks Farm, he launched Melnyk's Racing Stables and restored the horse farm back to its original glory. His horses have yielded victories in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown - The Queen's Plate, the Prince of Wales Stakes, and the Breeders' Stakes. He has also won two dozen major races around the world. Eugene is a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Owner

Ottawa Senators

Eugene purchased the Ottawa Senators, a professional hockey team in the NHL, in 2003. During Eugene’s ownership, the Senators have enjoyed the best overall record of any of the seven Canadian NHL franchises. From 2003 to 2017, the Senators qualified for the NHL playoffs nine times, won several playoff series, were Northeastern division champions, and appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017. Since then, the team has been in a rebuilding mode.
Owner

Belleville Senators

The Belleville Senators are a professional ice hockey team and the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. The franchise was previously based out of Binghamton, New York, but in September 2016 Melnyk purchased the team and relocated it closer to its NHL parent club.
Owner

Melnyk Racing Stables

Eugene purchased the prestigious Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida, one of the state’s leading breeding operations, in 2001. After renaming it Winding Oaks Farm, he launched Melnyk’s Racing Stables and restored the horse farm back to its original glory. His horses have yielded victories in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown – The Queen’s Plate, the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Breeders’ Stakes.
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