Q&A with Sens executive Erin Crowe: Working for Eugene Melnyk

Erin Crowe has worked in the finance department of the Ottawa Senators for more than 20 years, beginning in 1996. She left in 2015 to pursue new opportunities, but late in 2021 she answered a plea from then-ailing owner Eugene Melnyk to return to help put the hockey team's financial house in order. 

In March of 2022, Melnyk died and the Senators were ultimately sold in 2023 to Michael Andlauer for close to a billion dollars. Andlauer has since made a host of changes to Senators staff, but made sure to retain Crowe as the club’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He also brought back president and co-founder Cyril Leeder, let go by Melnyk in 2016. Today these two familiar executives are leading the way for Ottawa to build a new, more central NHL arena. 

As with all longtime Senators staffers, Crowe endured some stormy years working for Melnyk, but you won’t hear her “dishing” on her late boss. She has too much respect for Melnyk’s daughters, Anna and Olivia. Instead, Crowe focuses on some things she learned from the former owner. 

It was in 2003, with the Senators emerging from a bankruptcy that Melnyk bought the franchise. That same year, Crowe was named CFO. 

Here is the second part of my conversation with Erin Crowe at the Senators' offices.   

 As a fan of the team, what’s your all-time highlight, a game or moment you watched live that you’ll never forget?
It was definitely making the (Stanley Cup) Final in 2007. Being in the Final, losing to Anaheim, was not that memorable.

I remember flying back from the 2007 Eastern Final win in Buffalo with the team and the grounds of the Ottawa airport were packed with fans. Players driving out of the airport parking lot rolled down their windows and high-fived fans as they slowly drove past them. An incredible scene. 
It was so cool. You realize with something like that how meaningful the team is to the city. That’s when you say to yourself — this is so big for our city. 

In your LinkedIn Bio, you are described as a “change champion.” What do you mean by that?
Oh, boy. When did I write that? (Laughs). I think it means that when I take on a role, for example when I left the Senators (2015) and went to these different places, I was trying to find new ways to do things. Innovation. Even coming back to the Senators (2021-22), I wanted to bring in some of the things I learned when I was gone for those seven years. To try to bring some of that process or discipline or just influence the way we do things differently. Look at things differently. Use data differently. 

What is your primary focus at this stage of the hockey season and business cycle?
Right now my primary focus is the new arena. It’s probably taking up half my time. 

I was just about to ask what percentage of your work time is devoted to the LeBreton Flats project. 
I spend time, obviously, on our finance stuff but also the Belleville Senators, our Foundation and the Sensplexes (public-private local arenas). 

What aspect of this massive arena project would you consider to be your priority — is it securing financing? Or something else?
Right now the focus is really to get through our due diligence period, I would say. And we’ll turn our attention to funding with a little more time and attention when we get through securing the land (10 acres to be sold to the Senators by the National Capital Commission). Financing is an important part of the project, though — continuing to think about the funding, looking at the models that are out there. Edmonton and Calgary were successful in getting their arenas funded. So they are good models to look at and understand. Ultimately, we need to do something that’s right for Ottawa and we’ll get there.

I would think the land sale itself has a lot of layers, right? You’ve got to figure out the value of it, come to terms, plus all the work to be done to prepare the site and satisfy all the stakeholders. 
Yes, there is still lots of work just to get to the point of having the land secured and that part of the deal closed. 

And your best guess as to when fans might see NHL hockey at LeBreton Flats?
I think we’ll be in this building (CTC) for at least another five years. 

You played a key role in negotiating a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding with the NCC when a Board of Directors was operating the hockey club. How has your role evolved under new ownership with Michael Andlauer and now a new land sale (tentative) agreement with the NCC? 
It’s similar in many ways. I’d say it hasn’t changed drastically. Obviously having Cyril back has been great. I’m very much behind the scenes getting things done. And he’s able to take on some of that external facing piece and the big picture stuff. And so working with him on all of those pieces has been great. But otherwise, my role hasn’t changed a ton. It’s very similar to what it was prior to the ownership change.

Tell us something we might not know about the late Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. 
People ask about Eugene … there were aspects of working for him that were challenging, but he was a very smart person and when he had a goal in mind he was determined to get there. And that was pretty interesting to see. He taught me a lot about the art of negotiation, plowing through and keeping moving. 

How challenging was your job as a gatekeeper of organizational finances with an impulsive owner asking you to find money for one thing or another?
It was challenging, for sure, but we would always discuss everything. So, it was pretty clear what was Senators’ business and what was everything else. We were always planning ahead and we knew when we had to get new financing. We were ahead of that. When you look at the sale of the club (for an estimated $950 million), it was a big success for Eugene and his family. He held on, he persevered and made it through the tough times. I’m sure many people said to him, “why don’t you sell the club?” 

Meanwhile, the team’s valuation kept rising.
And he believed that. He always believed that’s where they were going. 

You left the hockey club in 2015 to pursue other opportunities. What brought you back a couple of years ago?     
So, Eugene asked me to come back. We had just been through Covid, there were challenges with the club and I was starting to think about what I wanted to do for the rest of my career. This place is near and dear to my heart and it’s part of our community and I just wanted to come back and do something that was meaningful for the city. Something that made me want to get up every day and go to work, which I do. 

How different are the team’s finances compared to earlier versions of the club, which faced bankruptcy proceedings and large debt carryover?
There were times in the past when cash was king, right? That was super important. Today, we have the same discipline around our planning and budgeting and our cash flow forecasting and everything else, but without the sense that a crisis is looming. And I think that’s the difference. It doesn’t necessarily change the way we do business, but it changes the pressure. We have an owner who is very supportive, wants to invest, wants to do what’s right for the fans. He’s committed to this team and committed to long term success. 

You must have become an expert in crisis management from those early years with the team. 
Sometimes I felt that was my job. There were some tough, tough times. 

Remember (former player) Daniel Alfredsson standing downtown in a snowstorm, encouraging fans to buy tickets? In the early 2000s, the team ultimately declared bankruptcy, leading to Melnyk’s purchase of the club. 
There were some stressful years leading up to the bankruptcy. 

Were you ever concerned about players not getting paid?
Only when we filed for bankruptcy. I think, though, the league has matured a lot over time as well, ensuring protection on these things. I think a lot of infrastructure has been put in place, just to shore everybody up. 

What impact would a playoff season have on the club’s bottom line?
It’s material. At the same time, one round of playoffs is not going to make a massive difference in anybody’s world. You know, you go through the playoffs and the league takes a portion of the gate. There’s all sorts of economics around the playoffs — people think it’s a massive windfall but it’s not as massive as you might think. The benefit is really in solidifying your season-ticket base, getting your season-ticket holders in for the next year. That’s the halo effect of the playoffs, which lives for years to come. 

Was it difficult to balance an executive management position with life at home, especially when your two kids were younger?
It was difficult, but we were fortunate. We had help at home for a bit, before the kids went to school. My husband’s (Joe Abel) job (in property and facilities management) is reasonably flexible. He’s got a great job, but it’s more flexible than mine. So we managed. And both of our parents are in town, so they help out, too. We have a support system.  

Is there better support for the demands placed on professional women with families than when you started out?
I think there’s more flexibility in the workplace now and an understanding that people can be successful while working with that flexibility. I think back to when I started, you had to be in the office all the time, 9 to 5. I’m a firm believer in being in the office, that’s where I work best, but I still believe you have to give people some flexibility to manage other things going on in their lives. 

What’s your idea of a fun day or evening with the family?
Well, my son is in university now. But if he’s home, we might go out for dinner as a family. We’ll golf maybe once a summer. 

Your favourite activity or pastime away from the rink?
I like golf. I’m taking up curling. That makes me sound old. 

Not at all. Lots of young people are curling now. 
I spent probably the past five years focused on my daughter’s soccer, being the Uber driver. I sit on the soccer board. And I just took on the chair role for the Bruyère Hospital. 

You are a doer, Erin. 
Probably to my detriment!