Senators enter into purchase agreement with Andlauer

The Ottawa Senators on Tuesday announced that an entity controlled by Michael Andlauer has entered into an agreement to purchase 90 percent and operational control of the team.

The sale is subject to approval by the NHL and finalization of the process. Andlauer will assume control of the Senators' operations. Anna and Olivia Melnyk, the daughters of the late Eugene Melnyk, will retain a 10 percent interest through the Melnyk Estate.

"My family and I are very excited to be a part of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club," Andlauer said in a statement. "I believe that the Senators' fan base is one of the most passionate in the League and I'm excited to take the franchise's success both on and off the ice to the next level.

"The short- and long-term future of the team is incredibly bright, and I look forward to getting to know the team, the fan base and the community."

Andlauer was co-owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs, an American Hockey League team that had a joint affiliation between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers and became majority owner the following year. Hamilton won the Calder Cup in 2007, and Andlauer in 2015 sold the franchise to the Canadiens, bought the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League, and relocated them to Hamilton, where they won OHL championships in 2018 and 2022. In 2009 he purchased a share of the Canadiens, Bell Centre and Gillett Entertainment Group (now evenko) as part of a group headed by Geoff Molson. He has since been Canadiens alternate governor.

"First and foremost, thank you to my wife and family for their support," Andlauer said. "Thank you to both the NHL and the Melnyk family for providing me with the opportunity to make this dream a reality. Thank you also to my equity partners on the transaction, who like me are committed to bringing success to the National Capital Region. I would also like to thank my financial advisers at Bulldog Capital Partners."

Andlauer is the founder and CEO of Andlauer Healthcare Group Inc., a TSX-listed leading supply chain management company offering third party logistics and specialized transportation solutions for the healthcare sector. He also founded Bulldog Capital Partners Inc., a Toronto-based merchant bank focused on private equity investments and advisory services.

"We are very pleased to announce that we have entered into an agreement to sell controlling interest of the Senators to Michael Andlauer," said Sheldon Plener, chairman and governor of the Seantors. "Michael represents everything we could have hoped to find coming into this process, a passionate owner who is committed to Ottawa.

"I want to thank Anna and Olivia Melnyk for their dedication and support to the board of directors and executors of the estate during this process. We would also like to recognize the ongoing efforts of the National Hockey League and the outstanding work of Galatioto Sports Partners (the firm handling the sale). We believe it is a momentous day for the National Capital Region."

The Senators announced Nov. 5, 2022, that the process of selling the team had begun, six months after Eugene Melnyk, owner since 2003, died from an illness at age 62. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the conclusion of the NHL general managers meetings March 15 that the League completed the first round of bidding in the sale and that the Senators received "robust interest in a meaningful and significant way."

Bettman said before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena on June 3 that none of the groups bidding to purchase the Senators was eliminated from consideration, but the process should be completed in the coming weeks.

"I know that they're trying to move forward as quickly as possible with the process," Bettman said. "The bidding was robust. The interest is great, and I'm being advised by GPS, Galatioto Sports Partners, that they expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks, so we'll have to sit back and see."

Under Melnyk's ownership, the Senators reached the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, a five-game loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and the 2017 Eastern Conference Final, a seven-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They were 39-35-8 this season, sixth in the Atlantic Division and six points behind the Panthers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the East. They have not made the postseason since losing Game 7 to the Penguins in double overtime.

Ottawa, the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs will play a four-day, round-robin set of regular-season games at the 2023 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden, from Nov. 16-19. It will be the third trip to Stockholm for the Senators, who played the Colorado Avalanche there twice as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series. They began their 2008-09 season there as part of the Bridgestone NHL Premiere 2008, with two games against the Penguins.

NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report