TORONTO -- Michael Andlauer had a subtle look of content on his face while he quietly stood behind a group of reporters interviewing beleaguered coach D.J. Smith.
The new owner of the Ottawa Senators had just been introduced firsthand to the Battle of Ontario, and he was modestly savoring it.
The 57-year-old, who took over the reins of the franchise Sept. 1, understands that one victory can’t erase some of the chaos that has surrounded his Senators in the ensuing 48 days under his watch. At the same time, a 6-3 win against the provincial rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday was definitely a moment of satisfaction to be sure, as fleeting as it might be.
“Absolutely,” Andlauer told NHL.com. “It’s a great rivalry. It would be nice to rekindle it. Being in Montreal, I didn’t really see it firsthand, but now I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Andlauer’s first seven weeks at the helm have been eventful, to be sure.
Raised in Montreal by a single mom, he went on to found and lead transportation and health-care companies, along with the Bulldog Capital Partners merchant bank. His accrued wealth allowed him to become a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens, the team he grew up cheering for, in 2009, a position he had to give up when the NHL rubber-stamped his offer to purchase the Senators.
In the subsequent seven weeks as Senators owner, he’s ridden an emotional roller-coaster, which included the firing of general manager Pierre Dorion on Nov. 1 after the NHL announced Ottawa would forfeit a first-round pick in the 2024, 2025 or 2026 NHL Draft for its role in the trade of forward Evgenii Dadonov on July 28, 2021, and the subsequent, invalidated trade of Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks by the Vegas Golden Knights on March 21, 2022.
Prior to the NHL’s ruling, forward Shane Pinto, who was unsigned because of Ottawa’s salary cap issues, was suspended 41 games for activities related to sports wagering.
On the ice, the Senators arrived in Toronto having lost five of six games, causing fans at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa to chant “Fire D.J.” during a 6-4 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. That didn’t sit well with Ottawa forwards Claude Giroux and Brady Tkachuk, who each came to the defense of their coach and suggested those fans were too quick to come to that conclusion.
Maybe the victory against the Maple Leafs didn’t cure all those woes, but it certainly allowed both the owner and coach to breathe a collective, albeit temporary, sigh of relief.
“You know, it hasn’t been easy,” Smith said. “It is what it is. It’s the best league in the world. And if you don’t play the right way, you get stung.”
Of course, along with playing tighter defensively, it also helped that the Senators’ big guns produced Wednesday; forward Tim Stützle had four points (one goal, three assists), and Giroux had three (two goals, one assist).
“I mean, we’ve had a lot of adversity the last few weeks with a lot of things happening, especially with the media and stuff,” Giroux said. “We think tonight can give us a little breather.”
At the same time, the 35-year-old pointed out the Senators (5-6-0) don’t have time to rest on their laurels, given that they’re back in action Thursday at home against the surging Vancouver Canucks (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, SNP, TSN5). Giroux astutely pointed out that the win, even against the rival Maple Leafs, was just one game of an 82-game season.
Still, it provided some much-needed relief, as short as it might be, for a franchise thirsting for some.
“As a group, we’re certainly getting tighter,” Smith said. “We know how we have to play now.”
