Eugene Melnyk gave out his own round of applause from his hospital bed Monday.
And, he couldn't be more touched by the support and good wishes.
As the Senators' owner continues to battle for his life at the Toronto General Hospital unless his doctors can find a match amongst the donors who have come forward, Melnyk released his first public statement Monday thanking people for their tremendous support and people to take time to consider organ donation to save lives.
In need of a liver transplant to stay alive, Melnyk has been overwhelmed by the more than 2,000 phone calls people made to a phone line set up at the club's Canadian Tire Centre offices and the 500 applications for a liver transplant the hospital received when the news became public.