'Ordinary' Andlauer makes great first impression in Ottawa as future Senators owner

Without any skin in the Stanley Cup playoff games, fans of the Ottawa Senators spent the early weeks of the off-season dreaming big. 

Since the Senators last regular-season game on April 13, fans and media have had time to imagine a franchise owned in part by Ryan Reynolds, by Snoop Dogg, or by The Weeknd. 

A celebrity slugfest. 

That ownership story played out with the winner being none of the above. Instead the team goes to the quiet, steady guy who just wants a strong hockey franchise without the hype. 

With Michael Andlauer the new guy in principle (until the NHL gives him one last nod of approval), fans moved on to hockey news. Armchair general managers wrestled with the Alex DeBrincat story, sorting out trade deals if the scoring winger cannot be signed long term. 

It’s been a busy time. And the first days of summer have only just arrived. 

So, too, has ‘owner elect’ Andlaeur, who breezed through town on Tuesday to get a better idea just what he is getting into. 

Now, Andlauer might not act as well as Reynolds. Nor sing like Snoop. But the impression he has made, not just in a few hours in Ottawa but in twenty-plus years around hockey at the OHL, AHL and NHL levels, would suggest the Senators are in good hands. Even without Reynolds to promote the team and make engaging videos. 

I’m guessing that a future behind-the-scenes look at a championship run by the Senators would be perfectly acceptable in the Nation’s Capital even if Reynolds’ fingerprints aren’t all over the vid. A Brady Tkachuk home video of a Cup celebration would go viral on Senators sites, we can assure you. Can’t vouch for the rest of the world. But then who cares?

That Andlauer would make the trip to Ottawa long before he can be approved as the team’s official owner by the NHL’s board of governors says a lot about his early commitment. 

The book on Andlauer is that he is extremely personable. Very present in the conversation. Down to earth. 

When Reynolds came to Ottawa, he had bodyguards and an entourage of 10 to 12 people wheeling around in big Suburbans. Andlauer had one other person with him riding in a single car. 

Being described as “ordinary” is not always considered flattery. Unless you were an ‘Ordinary Superstar’ like Johnny Rodgers. 

But after an ownership era in Ottawa that burned bridges rather than build them, unable to get along with business people, government officials or even an iconic team alumnus like Daniel Alfredsson, we will take “ordinary” and down-to-earth all day long.  

Guaranteed, Andlauer, 57, will be a more present owner than his predecessor Eugene Melnyk, who came and went for the better part of 20 years. (Most staff preferred it that way). 

Andlauer spent most of his day here at the Canadian Tire Centre, talking with Senators officials and staff. He also had a lengthy in-person meeting with Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe. 

It’s believed he also met with Alfredsson, who has said he would love to have a “meaningful” role with the Senators, after years of being estranged from the franchise under Melnyk. 

Look for Alfredsson to be welcomed back to the fold in a significant way as soon as Andlauer is in position to do so. 

Count the mayor among those who have been struck by Andlauer’s open mind and willingness to listen. He already appears very committed to the team he will soon own. 

“The conversation always came back to — what do you think is going to be the best thing for Ottawa?” Sutcliffe says. “What do you think will work best for hockey fans? If it’s the right thing for hockey fans, then it’s what is going to make us successful.”

It’s far too early to tell what Andlauer is thinking about the optimum site for a new arena, assuming he concurs with the popular wisdom that it is time for the franchise to make plans to leave Kanata for something more central. 

Whether that site will be LeBreton Flats, which is already the focus of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Senators and National Capital Commission, or the Bayview Yards, Department of National Defence headquarters, or government space on Laurier Avenue in the heart of downtown … these conversations will run their course. 

What matters right now is that Andlauer has already aligned himself with local business people and builders, such as Farm Boy co-CEO Jeff York and the Malholtra family and their Claridge Homes company. 

We’ve all grown a little impatient with the LeBreton Flats file, let alone the myriad other sites now being discussed for the Senators' new home. 

Think of this, though. For the first time, we have fresh eyes and minds on the case. Beyond the methodical, well-meaning NCC, which will proceed with development at LeBreton with or without a sports and entertainment venue, we have a new and motivated NHL team owner, a new, business-minded mayor, and local business people with knowledge of the Ottawa market. 

Once they set about assessing the options, there is a very good chance they will get this right and the team and its fans can anticipate a next chapter in a new arena, a few years down the road. 

At the moment, everything seems possible. The Senators are undefeated, Alfie is coming back home, and Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle are flexing their muscles for the upcoming season.