TORONTO– Michael Andlauer had a subtle look of contentment on his face as he stood quietly behind a group of reporters interviewing embattled coach DJ Smith.
The new owner of the Ottawa Senators had just been introduced to the Battle of Ontario and he was enjoying it modestly.
The 57-year-old, who took the reins of the franchise on September 1, understands that a single victory cannot erase some of the chaos that surrounded his Senators during the 48 days that followed under his leadership. At the same time, a 6-3 victory over their provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday was certainly a moment of satisfaction, however fleeting it may be.
“Absolutely,” Andlauer told NHL.com. “It’s a great rivalry. It would be nice to revive it. Being in Montreal, I haven’t really seen it with my own eyes, but now I can’t wait to see it.
Andlauer’s first seven weeks in charge of the team were of course eventful.
Raised in Montreal by a single mother, he went on to found and run transportation and health care companies, as well as the investment bank Bulldog Capital Partners. His accumulated 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 abandon when the NHL approved his offer to purchase the Senators .
In his seven weeks as Senators owner, he went through an emotional roller coaster, including the firing of general manager Pierre Dorion on November 1 after the NHL announced Ottawa would give up a first-round draft pick. in the NHL in 2024, 2025 or 2026. Draft for his role in the forward trade Evgeny 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.
Before the NHL’s decision, the forward Shane Pintowho did not sign due to salary cap issues in Ottawa, was suspended 41 games for sports betting activities.
On the ice, the Senators arrived in Toronto having lost five of six games, prompting fans at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa to chant “Fire DJ” during a 6-4 loss to the Lightning. Tampa Bay, Saturday. This did not please the Ottawa attackers Claude Giroux And Brady Tkachukwho each came to their coach’s defense and suggested that these fans were too quick to come to that conclusion.
Maybe the win over the Maple Leafs didn’t cure all those woes, but it certainly allowed the owner and coach to breathe a collective sigh of relief, albeit temporary.
“You know, it hasn’t been easy,” Smith said. “It’s like that. It’s the best league in the world. And if you don’t play correctly, you get stung.
Of course, in addition to playing tighter defensively, it also helped that the Senators’ big guns produced on Wednesday; Before 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 over the last few weeks and a lot of things have happened, especially with the media and all that,” Giroux said. “We think tonight can give us a bit of a break.”
At the same time, the 35-year-old stressed that the Senators (5-6-0) have no time to rest on their laurels, given that they are back in action Thursday at home against the Canucks from Vancouver (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, SNP, TSN5). Giroux astutely pointed out that the win, even against the rival Maple Leafs, was just one game in an 82-game season.
Still, it provided some much-needed relief, however short-lived, to a franchise that craved it.
“As a group, we’re definitely tightening up,” Smith said. “We know how we have to play now.”
