Fans were not the only ones surprised by Ottawa's announcement Thursday that owner Eugene Melnyk was gravely ill. According to the Ottawa Sun, Ottawa players said while they knew something was wrong with Melnyk since he was absent during the team's playoff run, they had no idea he was this sick.
"I guess we knew something was going on just because with the lack (of his) presence during the playoff run," alternate captain Chris Phillips told the Ottawa Sun in a phone interview Thursday. "That presence, that you normally see and hear of, was absent. To hear it's of this magnitude is pretty scary. He's fighting for his life. He needs something to happen here for this to turn out to be a happy ending."
According to the Ottawa Sun, the players found out about Melnyk via an email which was sent out shortly before Thursday's announcement to the media.
(h/t Ottawa Sun)
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