Melnyk "extremely disappointed" about NHL lockout

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk expressed his displeasure with the continued labour strife between the NHL and NHLPA earlier today. In a conversation with Sportsnet about the continued work stoppage, Melnyk made his feelings about the current situation quite clear:

"[I'm] extremely disappointed like any fan of where we are, we should be playing hockey by now."

Naturally, Melnyk was cautious about laying blame either way for the lockout.

Interestingly, though, Melnyk discussed the nature of fans during lockouts, drawing specifically on his time as a baseball fan; he was a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan during the early 1990s, but the 1994 MLB season cancellation effectively killed his interest in pro baseball:

"I was a crazy, crazy baseball fan and after the strike I was gone."

It's interesting to hear this perspective discussed by Melnyk, considering the number of hockey fans expressing their frustration with the lockout by toying with the idea of a league boycott--the fact that Melnyk himself took such actions after another league's lockout, it makes you wonder what side he's on in this entire situation. If his comments can be seen as dissent with League leadership then it's very, very subtle dissent, but it's quite telling nonetheless.