Michael Andlauer threw a little more fuel on the fire of the club\u2019s rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens.<\/p>\n
The Senators owner wasn\u2019t thrilled the Habs decided to move their training camp to Quebec City for three days after a 5-0 victory over Ottawa on Tuesday night at the Centre Videotron, but he noted on Monday that imitation is the best form of flattery.<\/p>\n
Andlauer, who had his club relocate its training camp to Quebec City to expand the market in a region where the Senators\u2019 regional package with Bell Media is broadcast on local television, was surprised to see the Habs stay in the old city before returning to Montreal on Friday.<\/p>\n
Attending a ground-breaking at the Laiterie l\u2019Outaouais, Andlauer took a little dig at one of the club\u2019s arch-rivals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m actually flattered, to be honest with you, because in the nine years the Centre Videotron has been built, the Montreal Canadians went in there once for one day, came in for a game and left the same day,\u201d Andlauer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took the Ottawa Senators coming in four days for them to realize, hey, this is a great market for them. Obviously, it\u2019s a Montreal Canadiens market and show appreciation for the city of Quebec to give that market they\u2019re deserving of. And they stuck around. So I feel, I feel like I played a part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A former minority owner of the Habs, Andlauer, sold his 10% share in Montreal when he led a group that purchased the Senators for $950 million US in Sept. 2023.<\/p>\n
The decision by the Senators to go to Quebec City wasn\u2019t well-received by Ottawa fans, but Andlauer felt the experience was worth it. The move was part of an initiative by the club to grow the game in Gatineau.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it was about the experience. I wanted our players to experience what Quebec culture is all about, be part of it and feel comfortable. And they did. It was a wonderful five days, and it\u2019s an experience that our players, I guess, when they come to Gatineau, they feel more comfortable,\u201d Andlauer said.<\/p>\n
Did they grow the Ottawa market in Quebec City?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so because I grew up in an era where there was the Quebec Nordiques and they did not like the Montreal Canadiens. It\u2019s like in Ontario, somebody in Ontario had a choice between Ottawa and Toronto, and some people are anti-Toronto, Maple Leafs fans. I don\u2019t blame them,\u201d Andlauder said with a wry smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the end of the day, it\u2019s the same thing that goes on in Quebec. And why not us be the alternative? So, to us, we just showed a respect, and I think they showed it back. It was an incredible experience for our players. And, yeah, if there are two more fans, that\u2019s two more fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related<\/p>\n
Andlauer flew in from Toronto on Monday morning solely to be part of the groundbreaking at the expansion of the Laiterie l\u2019Outaouais because the company is a partner in the Future Sens program.<\/p>\n
He is confident the Senators can grow their market on the other side of the Ottawa River.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great partnership, because we\u2019re talking about Laitiere, who wants to expand in a region, which includes Ottawa, and in this case, with the Senators, it\u2019s the same thing. There\u2019s no border in our eyes,\u201d Andlauer said.<\/p>\n
The Gatineau side will be vitally important down the road when the Senators get a new arena built at LeBreton Flats.<\/p>\n
To me, it\u2019s a natural process and it\u2019s something that we\u2019re starting, you know, from scratch. You mentioned earlier about the fact that we just finally got an Instagram account (in French). We\u2019ve got a long way to go, in my opinion,\u201d Andlauer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like our hockey team, as long as we\u2019re better than this time last year, we\u2019re making progress. I\u2019m in it for the future. I\u2019m not in it, you know, I don\u2019t want to make a big splash. And then next year, we\u2019re taking a step backwards, so the investment is going to be progressive.\u201d<\/p>\n