Senators owner Michael Andlauer says he’s committed to Ottawa

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Michael Andlauer meant no harm to fans of the Ottawa Senators.

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The Senators owner told a group of reporters before the puck was dropped for a game against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre that he was committed to bringing a Stanley Cup to this city and was trying to grow the fanbase in Quebec City on Monday.

Andlauer made it clear, just as he did Monday, that he had no plans of relocating the Senators to Quebec City and that he was committed to getting a deal done with the National Capital Commission at LeBreton Flats and keeping the National Hockey League team in Ottawa.

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“To me, integrity is everything. When I bought this team, I said I didn’t own this team and I was just the caretaker. It’s been an incredible 18 months,” Andlauer said. “A lot has happened, but the one thing that has happened is I’ve fallen in love with the city.

“I bought a house, I’m putting an extension on that house, and my love for this city is authentic. I love everything about this city and I hope to retire in this city. I’m all-in for this city. Take me at my word because I love this city, I love the fans and I learned a lot from this experience.”

Andlauer said he wanted to meet with reporters to “clear the air on where I was coming from in Quebec City” because he didn’t realize the sensitivity of the market in Ottawa.

“I heard snippets from the past, but I didn’t appreciate the past,” Andlauer said. “Shame on me for that.”

He noted the reason the Senators had opted to play two preseason games in Quebec City next fall was because he was trying to grow the club’s fanbase. He noted that Quebec City was a media market for the Ottawa franchise and he was trying to get more francophone fans to follow the club.

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“We’re the only other team (than the Montreal Canadiens) that is truly a bilingual team,” Andlauer said. “Even though the previous ownership didn’t really pay much attention (to the Quebec side), this is low-hanging fruit for us to generate more revenue and more fans of the Ottawa Senators.”

Andlauer knows it was a misstep not to shut down discussion of playing regular-season games in Quebec City. Later in the conversation, he noted that this would likely never happen, he didn’t know the Senators were close to moving five regular-season games there two years ago.

“I was adamant I was staying in Ottawa,” Andlauer said. “When I was asked about the regular-season games, I hadn’t really thought about it. I just said if we can play in Sweden, we can play in Quebec City. I said that was an NHL decision and not my decision.

“I didn’t think about it. This is where I erred. I don’t dwell on the past and I didn’t realize there was talk about playing five games in there. I didn’t know that. I appreciate the way the fans reacted because they don’t know me. Over time they will figure it out.

“One thing I’ve realized is there is a lot of scar tissue with our fans, and I didn’t realize that until I saw the reaction. The silver lining is hockey is deep-rooted in this city and our fans are passionate, and let’s stay passionate. This wasn’t done out of disrespect”

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Fans on the social-media site X were fuming when the club posted a picture of its mascot, Spartacat, the Senators’ ambassador of fun, wearing a jersey split between Ottawa colours and those of the old Quebec Nordiques.

What would Andlauer do differently?

“The jersey first,” Andlauer said. “I didn’t even know about the jersey.”

He said the idea to have the spliced jersey came from the Senators’ marketing team and president Cyril Leeder. He said they were trying to appeal to Nordiques fans with the iconic logo.

Andlauer also wanted to dismiss the notion this was some sort of veiled message to the National Capital Commission to hurry up and get a deal done on LeBreton Flats or he’d move the team elsewhere.

After the NCC wrapped its board of directors meeting last week, chief executive officer Tobi Nussbaum told reporters that talks to finalize the sale of 10 acres of land to the Senators continued with a hope of completing the deal by the end of 2025.

The two sides reached an agreement in principle on Sept. 20, 2024. Under its terms, the Senators would purchase 10 acres of land at LeBreton Flats to build a new rink and an arena district, including restaurants and bars.

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Since then, the Senators and NCC officials have been negotiating during this “due diligence” period. Andlauer said he wasn’t trying to send a message to the NCC to get the deal done faster and the media conference was planned months ago.

“There was no thought about arena negotiations. It didn’t even dawn on me,” Andlauer said. “So let’s put that aside right away. There was no leverage there. It’s not even close. This isn’t about my negotiations with the NCC. You talk to Tobi, ask what kind of negotiator I am. I’m not about trying to steal something. I’m not that guy

“People who know me know I’m up-front and sometimes too much. They’ve got their own issues (at the NCC), but I’m committed to it. LeBreton is a perfect place. There are all kinds of compelling reasons, and I’ll always do what’s best for my fans. I saw that speculation (about sending a message) and I thought, ‘Wow, it was incredible.’”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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