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Senators fan Spencer Callaghan has been displeased with the direction the hockey franchise has taken in recent weeks.

He’s certainly not the only one with that point of view. But he’s the only one to come up with the idea of putting up a #MelnykOut billboard to broadcast his feelings and to ask the public to back him via GoFundMe.

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Since starting his quest, he’s discovered he’s far from alone.

“Eugene Melnyk has decided that he would rather tear the team down and sell it for spare parts than admit he can no longer afford to run it effectively,” wrote Callaghan in his appeal. “Sens fans and the city of Ottawa need to step up to save a pillar of this community. As the media haven’t been effective in telling the fans’ story, we have to do it ourselves.”

The cost of the billboard is an estimated $5,000, said Callaghan, who works in communications and social media. His campaign, which started Friday, raised more than $8,500 by Sunday afternoon, mostly in increments of $10 to $20. One fan responded that he wasn’t going to Saturday’s game, but would kick in the price of two large draft beers.