Asked whether Melnyk has "made an important contribution" to the capital since buying the team, 35 per cent of respondents disagreed, while only 28 per cent agreed.
Almost one-third of respondents — 32 per cent — had "no further interest in supporting the Ottawa Senators as long as Eugene Melnyk is in control."
Of those respondents who identified themselves as hockey fans, nearly 40 per cent said they won't support the Senators while Melnyk is still there — an even more telling statistic, according to Graves.
"The public is souring on Melnyk. He has his supporters but … there's more negativity than positivity," Graves said.
"The fact that such a large number of the fan base says, 'I don't want anything to do with him,' I'm sure it's overstated and it's an expression of frustration and pique, but it's still a pretty shocking number."
