How an end to the Senators ownership saga affects the city, team and arena
Michael Andlauer would get into talks for new LeBreton Flats arena
The Ottawa Senators have an agreement in principle with a new owner and observers say they're excited about what this could mean for the future of the team, the city and a possible new arena.
The franchise announced Michael Andlauer's group as the successful bidder on Tuesday after months of speculation, celebrity interest and rumours of tense bidding wars. His ownership still has to be finalized at an undetermined date.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he sent Andlauer a message of congratulations and expects to have a more fulsome conversation with him in the coming days.
"This is somebody who wants to invest … hundreds of millions of dollars in our city and sees huge potential here. I think that's very validating and exciting for our city," Sutcliffe said.
Senators defenceman and alternate captain Thomas Chabot said he's happy to see the end of what's been "a long process" to determine the team's new owner.
"It's pretty amazing. It's something special for the entire team and the entire city of Ottawa and I think a lot of positive will come out of that," said Chabot.
Part of the conversation, of course, will be where the team will play its games in the long term and the possibility of a new downtown arena.
The National Capital Commission (NCC) met with several prospective buyers of the Sens earlier this year to discuss the possibility of leasing land at Lebreton Flats. This agreement in principle comes about a year after a memorandum of understanding to move there.
The NCC did not confirm whether it had met with Andlauer but said in a statement "we look forward to working with Mr. Andlauer and his partners on a lease agreement for a future major events centre at LeBreton Flats."
The push to move the team downtown has been ongoing for several years, but Kanata-Carleton Liberal MP and former area city councillor Jenna Sudds believes the team can still excel at its current Kanata home, the Canadian Tire Centre.
"Obviously I'd love to see the team stay in Kanata. Obviously that's where my heart is and I know it means a lot to my constituents," said Sudds.
Quiet owner of other teams
As for the future of the team itself, Sutcliffe said he's confident Andlauer is the right person to lead the team to victory.
"Michael Andlauer is a guy who wants to win the Stanley Cup. He told me that when I met with him. So he's a hockey guy, he's going to invest in the team and I think we're going to see a winning team going forward," said Sutcliffe.
WATCH | Ottawa's mayor on the new owner:
Andlauer has been a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens since 2009 and owns the Brantford Bulldogs junior hockey team, which he bought and moved from Belleville to Hamilton in 2015.
The Malhotra family of Ottawa-based developer Claridge Homes and Jeff York, former CEO and current partner of the Farm Boy grocery chain, are also part of the ownership group, according to sources with knowledge of the bid.
Moshe Lander with the department of economics at Concordia University in Montreal said the new owner has been "rather invisible" in his other hockey ventures, so it's unlikely Andlauer will be directly involved in hockey operations.
Lander said "that's probably a good thing" to see an owner trust hockey operations staff to run a team.
WATCH | What happens next after the agreement:
While Andlauer could bring in new hires to run the team, Lander said it's unlikely to happen quickly.
That means sticking with a plan for the NHL draft in two weeks that outgoing ownership has already set in motion, he said.
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With files from Chris Rands
