Q&A with Senators owner Michael Andlauer: On LeBreton, potential, and Greig bobblehead

An owner can make or break a professional sports franchise, so having a good one can make all the difference to team success. After years of tumultuous ownership under a previous regime, the Ottawa Senators have changed the script on an off the ice in just two years under Michael Andlauer.

In that short amount of time, the Senators have gone from a franchise mired in a long playoff drought, without plans for a new downtown arena, and not spending to the salary cap, to one with a much rosier outlook. These days, Ottawa is optimistic for playoff success and getting investment in all facets of the organization.

Andlauer is often swept to the side of the Canadian Tire Centre’s corridors, chatting to fans about the NHL team and their experience. He wants to listen to them. Andlauer goes to every home game and proclaims to be a fan himself.

He also happens to be the owner overseeing all the challenges, hopes, and dreams.

On the two-year anniversary of buying the Senators, Andlauer reflected on his tenure and the future of the Senators in an interview with Sportsnet.ca.Â

(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.)

SN: How do you reflect on your last two years as Senators owner?

Michael Andlauer: It’s crazy. Like wow, we’ve done a lot in two years.

As Thomas Edison said, if there is a better way to do it, find it. I’m always looking at finding a better way and for continuous improvement. And then you just benchmark yourself on the previous year, and you look back, okay, what did we look like a year ago? How were our fans? What do they think about our team, the confidence, the product that we offered on and off the ice in the community?

I went to the Sensplex yesterday. The intensity that I saw in this training camp is amazing. Itâ€s my third (training camp). I went to my first one and they went from a bunch of puppies, not knowing where they’re going, to now, all of a sudden, they’re well trained and theyâ€re focused at the task at hand.

SN: What are some things you have learned as an owner?

MA: The Quebec City press conference and the mascot. It was never intended to be disrespectful toward Ottawa fans in any way, shape or form, but I understand why they reacted that way. I should have been more conscious about what they had gone through in the history of this hockey club. But it was always with good intentions.

SN: What are you proud of that youâ€ve achieved so far as the owner?

MA: Oh gosh, it’s still a process. If the fans are proud of their hockey club, then I’m proud of accomplishing that. I think, to me, it’s that people are proud to be Ottawa Senators fans. But like I said itâ€s a process. Hoisting a Stanley Cup would be a proud moment, but I think creating a brand that people are proud of and that is sustainable for the long term.â€

SN: What did you learn from your time as a minority owner in Montreal?

MA: Respect for alumni was one of the things that stood out the most. Bringing Alfie back was the first order of the day. Great move. Also, I don’t like seeing Montreal fans in our house. This is becoming a rivalry which I am appreciating a lot more. When you think about the rivalry between the Nordiques and the Canadiens, if we can be like the Nordiques, we’re always the underdogs, too. We are the underdogs in this market. And if we can play that role for Quebeckers who don’t want to be Montreal Canadiens fans, I love it even more.

SN: Whatâ€s it like going from obscurity to becoming a public figure as majority owner of the Senators?

MA: Just about two hours ago, somebody yelled ‘Hey, Michael, arenâ€t you going to the game?’ And I’m like, that’s so cool that somebody can call me Michael in the middle of walking my dog. And I feel close. I don’t need security like some other owners. I just love this city.

SN:How much do you feel like a fan when you are watching your team play?

MA: Oh, man, we’re not doing this interview during a game are we. I’m pretty antisocial during a game.

SN: How much untapped potential and profit is there to be made with the Senators?

MA: Profit is not a word that is common for small market teams. It’s really a passion, but it’s got to be sustainable. There’s a balance, and that’s why the Gatineau market that is 300,000 people in that area is an important market for the success of this hockey club. In my opinion, it makes total sense. That’s why the (downtown) arena has so much momentum and potential impact for the future of this hockey club. This is a great venue (the Canadian Tire Centre). You can always continue to upgrade this venue, but I think we deserve better as a community.

SN: What would a new downtown arena provide to the team?Â

MA: (A downtown arena) has so much to offer, not even about the hockey club, but just from the community standpoint, entertainment and access. I’m so sick and tired of hearing (the Canadian Tire Centre) is so far away from me. Having lived in Montreal and Toronto and the traffic, it takes longer to get to the games in Toronto or Montreal than it does in Ottawa. But there’s little to do before and after the end (of games). (The arena) has to become a destination.Â

SN: How do you plan to pay for an arena at LeBreton Flats?

MA: I see it as a collaborative effort. First of all, I don’t consider it my arena. It’s our arena, it’s our entertainment district. It is something that is there for not just hockey fans, right? With the LRT stations, it will be more enticing with hotels and the restaurants and it will just ignite the city, and Gatineau for that matter.

I just came back from Atlanta. I was in Atlanta for business and I took the time to go and meet with the president of the Atlanta Braves and go see The Battery, the entertainment facility, which they’re pretty much at the forefront of entertainment facilities. It is amazing. There are more people, I think there are nine million people that go through that entertainment district a year. And one feeds off the other.

SN: How confident are you that there will be an arena in LeBreton Flats at some point?

MA: I wouldn’t be spending millions of dollars, which I already have, in prepping for this, if I wasn’t confident. But to answer your question, who’s going to pay for it? This is a collaborative effort. And if people don’t want to pay for it, that’s okay. I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is and do my part, and then some.

I’m just a catalyst to making something special happen. That’s the way I look at it. Like I said, I don’t need to own it. I think it belongs to the city in many respects. I think this hockey club belongs to the city. I said that at the outset, right? I’m just the caretaker, the custodian.

SN: How hopeful are you that the league will reduce its punishment that forces the Senators to lose a first-round pick in 2026 for the Evgenii Dadonov no-trade list confusion?Â

MA: The consensus seems that itâ€s a harsher penalty than it deserved, but at the end of the day, you got to respect the decision. That’s the way I look at it. It would be a great message for our city to show that we’re doing the right thing. We would have to earn that right.

Have you looked at what happened with the Devils when they lost a first-round pick for the Ilya Kovalchuk contract which later was reduced to the last pick in the first round?

There might be some precedent set, but it may not be the same thing exactly at the end of the day. It was in the due diligence material (when buying the Senators), and I would suggest that I was guided in the wrong way. But I rather not talk about it, because I think all it does is upsets the NHL.

SN:What are your thoughts on the Ridly Greig bobblehead night, as it was your favourite moment of your first year?

MA: I think it’s a bit of overkill. Personally, I feel for the player because of that, because you in the media have made so much of this bobblehead. But the reality is that was a statement.

It was a highlight of my first year, because as I was learning, I learned that a lot of Toronto fans come to our games, and we should have home ice advantage when we play. And I think we proved that in the playoffs. We changed the dynamics.

After that game (where Greig scored an empty netter), and all the Leafs fans went home after that slap shot, it was like an exclamation mark to say: ‘This is our house.’

SN: What are your thoughts on the Senators letting go of Alex Formenton?

MA: Steve said it exactly the right way. He’s a good hockey player who I’m sure feels a lot of remorse. And I think it’s time for a fresh start.

SN:How involved are you in hockey decisions with the Ottawa Senators?

MA: I made it very clear, I don’t make those decisions. I am involved. I’m in the know. I speak to Steve (Staios) every single day. I play devilâ€s advocate. I bring in a different approach. I like to listen. I’m in touch with a lot of people on and off the ice in the league, so my ability to listen is the information that perhaps will allow us to arm Steve to make all the right decisions. Iâ€ll support him by giving him all the tools, the staff — whether it be analytics staff or experience like a Dave Poulin — and the wherewithal.

SN: How close to the salary cap will you spend in the coming years, as it is projected to rise quickly in the next few years?Â

MA: One of the things that was lacking when I took over the club was a Belleville team that did not have any vision from a development standpoint, and hadn’t made the playoffs. So, drafting right (and) developing better is so important, especially with entry-level contracts the way they are. Even in the new CBA, you can get a lot greater value by making sure we develop right. So, with respect to the hockey club, that’s an area I want to give Steve all the tools possible, including the dollars that are spent. Being a small market team is not easy. But this is not a business for me to make money. It’s a passion, and that’s that. I’m aligned with the fans when it comes to that.

SN: How often do you think about winning a Stanley Cup?

MA: All the time. It’s a process, though. It’s not going to happen overnight, and you need some lady luck. And right now, (Andlauer knocks on wood) we got it.

Source link