It was Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson who encouraged his partner Michael Andlauer to take over the Ottawa Senators, and he now believes he has a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
The businessman has been on cloud nine since his bid for the Ontario car dealership was successful. The “Sens” have gotten off to a good start to the season, and that’s exactly what the fifty-year-old needs to make his dream come true.
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“Don’t look too bad, I had a great relationship with Geoff and the group of partners for 13 or 14 years. They are always together, except for me, and it was a good collaboration. But my desire as a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens was to win a Stanley Cup,” said Andlauer on Thursday, who was invited to speak to the media as part of Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s monthly luncheon at City Hall.
“I don’t think we were entirely on the same page,” he added of his relationship with Molson. I won’t go into details. Geoff has the final say and I respect that. I was there for him when he needed me and there were times of frustration. I play to win.”
The Canadian has been rebuilding for several seasons and it appears that Andlauer’s patience is reaching its limits. Fortunately for him, Molson supported him in his efforts and regained the Ontarion’s shares after his departure.
Andlauer even asked Molson to join him in submitting an offer for the Senators. Instead, the owner of the Hab encouraged him to stand on his own two feet.
“I thought, ‘My God, this is an opportunity.’ Ottawa sits between two major markets. I like being underestimated. It piqued my interest and besides, Ontario hasn’t had a Stanley Cup in a long time and I wanted to bring one back here.”
He also wasted no time in making a name for himself in the community, attending several public events and regularly visiting the Canadian Tire Centre. No doubt, Andlauer is thrilled.
“I’ve never done this before but I’ve taken so many selfies in the arena over the last few weeks. The selfies I want to take are the ones with the cup,” he said.