"Some Things Never Change": Andlauer candid again

As his team was set to kick off a five-game road trip in Vegas, Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer joined ‘Coming in Hot’ Tuesday morning to discuss the latest happenings with his team.

The owner exhibited his customary gregarious nature. Not only was his club coming off some pivotal wins against the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers, but behind the scenes, the organization is making quiet progress on LeBreton Flats.

“A lot has been going on,” Andlauer emphasized. “We have made a lot of progress. I remember three years ago, I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be great. You know, this piece of land that hasn't been lived on in 70 years, and here we go.’

“Acquire some land, build an arena, and I was really not thinking the way I'm thinking today. I didn't understand the landscape either, both literally and figuratively, with respect to, you know, the NCC and the City and these lands, which were a dumping ground for the last seventy years.”

Andlauer affirmed that the Senators have made significant progress with key stakeholders like the NCC and the City of Ottawa. Negotiations with the Algonquin and Anishinaabe Nation on a long-term partnership to develop LeBreton Flats have also progressed positively.

Red tape and bureaucracy were always going to be obstacles to a timely deal, given the layers of government involved. And that is before considering soil contamination or the logistics of utilities and getting the necessary infrastructure in place to support such a large-scale development.

Andlauer recognized that the process has been consuming for an entirely different reason.

The process has been consuming for him because LeBreton Flats is a blank canvas, and he understands how this large-scale project can transform this city and its sports and entertainment culture.

“It's become consuming as a passion, not just for an arena, but for what it represents to the city of Ottawa and Gatineau, since it's across the river,” Andlauer explained. “It's transformational for what we can do with these lands, and it's not even an arena anymore for me. This district is going to be transformational for all the citizens of Ottawa.

“We have one chance to do it right. So we've got to make sure we do it right.”

For Andlauer, what started as a business opportunity has morphed into a legacy project to shape the city. He indicated that the next details and initiatives could be shared with the public early in 2027.

“I've spent millions and millions of dollars already, and we don't even own the land yet,” Andlauer shared. “(We need to) get this right, and then we'll see where it goes. We can make such a positive difference for the community that that's why I want to do it right.

“If it takes an extra year or two, it's not the end of the world because it is something that's going to be lasting. That's how I look at it. I don't look at it as a business initiative with an arena. Of course the Senators will benefit from being there, but it's what it represents to the city of Ottawa. That's what matters.”

Although LeBreton Flats’ development is still a long way from coming to fruition, a few of the Senators’ projects at the Canadian Tire Centre are close to completion. The new fan deck on the 300 level will be completed and open to fans on Saturday, November 7th, when the Senators take on the Utah Mammoth. Similarly, the renovations and rebranding of ‘Bert’s Bar’ are almost done. Leaning into the Senators’ history, Andlauer revealed that the space will now be known as the ‘Silver Seven Restaurant’.

Travis Green recently signed a multi-year contract extension that runs through the end of the 2030–31 season. Andlauer shed light on the hiring process, saying he became involved only after the organization narrowed it to the finalists.

“I do not make hockey decisions,” Andlauer stressed. “I'm a conscience for Steve (Staios), but he makes those decisions ultimately. In Travis' case, it was one of those things that I'm glad (Staios) made that decision because, ultimately, (the job) would have (gone to one of the) two other coaches who got jobs in the NHL shortly thereafter.”

The two coaches who were hired shortly after the Senators announced the hiring of Green on May 7, 2024) were Craig Berube (May 17, 2024) and Sheldon Keefe (May 23, 2024).

“It was (Staios’) choice,” Andlaur stated. “He could have gone with either one of them, but I felt that Travis and Steve complemented each other way more. And Steve, being a young general manager in the league, we wanted somebody who could check their ego at the door and work together. I think that's why he picked the right person. They feed off each other.”

Eventually, the conversation turned to his team’s performance when they took on former captain Brady Tkachuk and his Florida Panthers.

“Our fans, they were epic for 60 minutes,” said Andlauer as he effused praise. “It wasn't five minutes. I'm just so proud. I'm proud of our fans. Obviously, I'm proud of our hockey club. They came to play right off the bat, and they had something to prove, and they did.

“Our fans, they were the first star of that game. They pushed the envelope, but it shows how much they care and how loyal they are.”

Andlauer went on to describe how that loyalty extended to Brady through all the ups and downs last season, but he believed fans took offence at Brady’s expressed desire to join a winning team culture.

“That shows how great our fans are, they expressed it,” Andlauer said of the fans’ frustration. “I think we all felt it. I know I felt it personally, and but life goes on. I think the winning team culture proved itself in that game.

Part of that winning culture may have stemmed from an incident within the first period that Andlauer shed light on.

“When he scored at the 10-minute mark of the first period, and then skated by our bench and said, ‘Some things never change, eh boys?’”

It was a pivotal, motivating moment that the Senators never looked back from. They scored five unanswered goals to solidify the game’s outcome before the Tkachuk tried to stir things up in a losing effort with a minute and 14 seconds left in the third period - earning himself a two-minute minor for roughing and an early trip to the showers.

Some things never change, indeed.

With an 8-4-0 record heading into Vegas, the Senators have managed to overcome adversity and significant injuries to their blue line to position themselves well. Linus Ullmark and Tim Stützle have carried this team.

Andlauer shared a different view.

“Well, that's what happens when you join a winning team culture.”

*Mic drop