from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

With hundreds of fans braving -20 C wind chills to kick off what should have been a marquee weekend for the NHL in the nation’s capital, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said Friday night he would consider moving the franchise.

“If it doesn’t look good here, it could look good somewhere else,” Melnyk said. “But I’m not suggesting that right now. That’s always the possibility with any franchise.

“If you open a grocery store and nobody comes, but one opens two blocks down and there’s a line outside, where are you going to have your store?”

The scene on Parliament Hill, with snow falling, was a perfect one for politicking – with the outspoken Melnyk perking up eyebrows of hungry hockey fans in Quebec City and bigwigs in Ottawa as the Senators search for a new downtown arena.

But Melnyk swore he wasn’t posturing.

“I don’t bluff,” Melnyk said. “I won’t sell it. It just won’t happen. Imagine if you own a McDonalds franchise, but you can move it. Why would you sell it? It’s something that’s very difficult to buy. We’re doing OK here. We’re not doing great.”

Melnyk said “the market here has to prove itself” or changes will be made.

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