Everything we learned at Michael Andlauer’s opening press conference in Ottawa

In his opening statement as the new owner of the Ottawa Senators, Michael Andlauer admitted the same feelings from his wedding day 27 years ago came rushing back to him.

“I’m mixed with so many emotions, it reminds me of my wedding day,” Andlauer said. “Excited. Overwhelmed a little bit. Nervous. But I’m happy.”

The first couple minutes of Andlauer’s speech on Friday were infused with a touch of nervous energy that came across as genuine. When speaking about the arduous Senators sale process that took nearly a calendar year to complete, Andlauer visibly exhaled a sigh of relief.

“It’s been a long road, but I must tell you it’s been worth the journey. I can really say, I’m finally home,” Andlauer said. “It’s emotional.”

Those raw opening words soon gave way to some colour and humour, as Andlauer seemed to get more comfortable with the spotlight and the barrage of questions that followed.

When asked what it was like to stop cheering for the Montreal Canadiens — his favourite childhood team and the club of which he was a minority owner with until yesterday — Andlauer mentioned that his wife, Lucie, has made the transition very simple.

“She got to go into my closet and clean out all of the Habs gear,” Andlauer said, a comment that received a thunderous laugh and round of applause from the collection of Senators team employees, business partners and season ticket holders in attendance at Friday’s splashy news conference.

He later turned to his three adult children — Matthew, Michael Jr. and Alexie — and said, “Thank you for allowing me to spend your inheritance on my passion.”

Andlauer seemed to hit all the right notes on Friday, acknowledging that he intends to embrace the “underdog” label that has often been affixed to the small-market Senators.

And he ended his formal remarks by stating his philosophy towards ownership.

“I understand that this city and the fans, that you’re the true owners,” Andlauer said. “And I promise to take care of your team with the utmost respect, integrity and care both on and off the ice.”

Cyril Leeder is back. Where are things with Daniel Alfredsson?

As his first order of business, Andlauer revealed that Cyril Leeder would be returning to his old post as president and CEO of the hockey club.

Leeder — who was replaced as president and CEO by Tom Anselmi back in 2017 — will take over the day-to-day business of running the organization. In his brief moment on the podium Friday, Leeder said, “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Michael, the team and our community in the months and years ahead.”

While Leeder sat alongside Andlauer and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday, it was noteworthy that Daniel Alfredsson was also sitting in the first row of spectators. The franchise icon was in attendance as a symbolic gesture, showing his support for the new owner.

While there has been dialogue between Alfredsson and Andlauer about a possible role for the Hall of Famer with the organization, nothing appears to be set in stone. And nothing was close enough to publicly announce a position for Alfredsson on Friday.

But in an interview with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas on Friday, Andlauer heaped praise on Alfredsson.

“The whole antics about Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd, in my eyes, I already had the biggest celebrity Ottawa has. In the back of my mind, it was Daniel Alfredsson,” Andlauer said. “There’s no need to have that type of sizzle when you have Daniel Alfredsson already here in Ottawa.”

Now that Andlauer has concluded the sale process, he’ll likely have a chance to zero in on how he would like to employ Alfredsson. There definitely appears to be mutual interest and respect between the two men, so we should anticipate an official working relationship to blossom down the road.

What is Andlauer’s philosophy as an owner? And will he be adding to his hockey operations staff?

There is certainly a lot of intrigue around how Andlauer plans to run the hockey operations department.

On Friday, there were no major announcements about additions to the hockey operations staff, although that might come once Andlauer gets the lay of the land. It’s clear that he holds his former OHL general manager Steve Staios in high regard, so it would not be the least bit surprising to see him join the Senators in some capacity soon.

But Andlauer preached patience on that front, saying that he is going to be in listening mode to start.

“My priority off the bat is to learn. I’ve got a lot to learn,” Andlauer said.

He added that he’s a “best practices” type of leader, which means he will likely take some time to conduct thorough interviews and get a sense of the landscape before he comes in and makes any drastic changes.

Andlauer also made it clear that he’ll be taking input and feedback from his players, acknowledging that he considers himself a “players first” type of owner.

He added that his philosophy for running a professional sports franchise boils down to three simple elements.

“Listening. Good communication. Holding people accountable,” Andlauer explained. “To me, it’s common sense.”

After speaking with Andlauer, it’s also evident that he relies on statistics and data and was directly involved in the club recently hiring Sean Tierney as the director of analytics. We should anticipate him filling out his hockey operations department at some point and adding more voices and perspectives.

And he wants to ensure that he delegates responsibility, giving full authority and autonomy to his key personnel in hockey operations.

“Yeah, I’m hands on because I’m passionate,” says Andlauer. “But I’m not going to be making the decisions.”

Andlauer gives his first thoughts on arena situation

Many fans were also curious to hear Andlauer weigh in with his opinion about a downtown arena, a subject that has certainly become polarizing in this market. But one thing Andlauer made clear on Friday is that we shouldn’t expect any quick decisions to be made on that front.

And to that end, he sees the Senators staying put at their home at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata for the next few seasons.

“I think we’ll be here for the next five years,” Andlauer said.

After that, however, is where things get murky.

At one point when discussing arena timelines, Andlauer admitted, “I cannot predict the future on that front.”

But he certainly did appear open to the idea of building a new facility closer to the downtown core.

“The mayor wants it. The NCC wants it. The Ottawa Senators want it. The fans want it. So we’re all going in the same direction,” Andlauer said. “It’s a matter of collaborating and working together and seeing what works and could make it a win-win-win-win situation.”

It should be noted that Andlauer acknowledged exploring the idea of building a new arena on the site of a building currently owned by the federal government.

“We’ve got federal buildings that are empty,” he said at one point on Friday.

This certainly leaves the door open for putting the arena in the heart of downtown in a spot like the Department of National Defence, which is located just behind the Rideau Centre and Shaw Centre. The DND site would have roughly a footprint of five acres, which would be just big enough to put an NHL-sized arena there — but leaving virtually no room for additional commercial development on the site.

“The DND site is a great location,” Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe told The Athletic in June. “I don’t know what the timetable is for DND to move out. It’s been gradual. So maybe someday, it’s the right option.”

In a June statement to The Athletic, the Department of National Defence said, “DND/CAF continue to occupy the building and are currently expecting to remain until 2035.”

Andlauer also said he has had ongoing discussions with the National Capital Commission about the current proposal to build the Senators arena at LeBreton Flats. But after listening to Andlauer on Friday, it sounds like he’s going to be consulting a wide group of people before proceeding with building a downtown rink.

“If I can increase the fan experience, that’s what I’m here for. The fans will help me dictate where the best place to be (is),” Andlauer said.

What kind of role could we see for the minority owners and the Melnyk daughters?

Andlauer said he anticipates having board meetings four times a year with his ownership group, which is comprised of a handful of various stakeholders.

“It’s a unique set of investors, who bring a unique set of qualities,” Andlauer said.

Andlauer hinted that experts within his ownership team like George Armoyan, Claridge Homes and the Paletta family would help guide things on the real estate side of the business.

Two other minority owners were also in attendance on Friday, as Anna and Olivia Melnyk were sitting in the front row of spectators, a few seats over from Alfredsson. The daughters of the late Eugene Melnyk are retaining a 10 percent stake in the franchise. On Friday, Andlauer seemed open to the idea of Anna and/or Olivia having a voice with the franchise.

“That’s really for Anna and Olivia to answer. We’ve had a couple of conversations together, so it was really preliminary,” Andlauer said. “But if you have passion, you’re committed to this community and you care more, I’ll open the doors to anybody.”

(Top photo: Michael Andlauer, center, CEO Cyril Leeder, left, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: Fred Chartrand / The Canadian Press via AP)