Michael Andlauer eyes Gatineau Olympiques as Senators seek deeper Quebec connection
Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer is looking into purchasing QMJHL team.
By Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 10, 2026
Michael Andlauer is studying the possibility of putting down some hockey roots on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River.
The majority owner of the Ottawa Senators is in serious discussions with the ownership group of the Gatineau Olympiques about the possibility of purchasing the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League franchise, the Ottawa Citizen has confirmed.
The talks were first reported on Thursday by well-respected broadcaster Nicolas St-Pierre, the host of Dans Le Vestiere podcast and a former play-by-play voice of the Senators on French radio.
A National Hockey League source, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the two sides have had talks, but that Andlauer isn’t the only person interested in purchasing the club.
“It’s a move that makes sense for Michael,” the source said.
Francois Beaudry, chairman of the Olympiques board of directors, didn’t deny Andlauer’s interest when asked about it on Friday during the club’s season wrap-up press conference in the dressing room at the Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau.
“I don’t have a comment. There are always discussions with potential owners or potential partners. As I said, there is nothing imminent,” said Beaudry. “The structure continues as is. We will have solutions that we will discuss together for the hockey operations department. But in the short term, there is nothing planned.”
Who currently owns the Olympiques?
The Olympiques are owned by a group of shareholders. St-Pierre reported that one of the club’s 18 ownership group — Michel Quesnel — has offered to buy a majority share from his partners in the organization for $12.5 million.
Former Senators winger Derick Brassard is part of the club’s ownership group.
The report said the offer by Quesnel was turned down and that’s the reason why Andlauer is involved in these talks. He may not be the only one studying the option of buying the Olympiques — there is some talk that former New Jersey Devils great Martin Brodeur may be part of a group that has an interest in Gatineau.
Andlauer has a rich history with junior hockey. He owned the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs for a decade. Andlauer relocated the club to Brantford in 2023 and sold the franchise to the family of Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman in Jan. 2025.
The talk in NHL circles is that the Bulldogs were sold for $12 million to the Hyman family, but there hasn’t been any confirmation of that number.
The Olympiques are a well-supported and historic QMJHL franchise. Former NHL great Wayne Gretzky owned the club from 1985 to 1992. The current ownership group took over in 2019 and took on more partners in 2020, including Brassard.
Beaudry didn’t rule out the possibility of the club’s ownership group changing in the off-season when he was pressed on the matter.
“It’s possible. There haven’t been any changes since 2019, so it’s been seven years. It’s possible since there are several owners at different stages of their professional careers,” Beaudry said.
“There are always rumours circulating and I would not like to spread these confidential conversations, but it’s possible. There is nothing imminent at the moment, but something that could happen in the next few months or next year. Everything is possible.”
When did Andlauer buy the Senators?
Since purchasing the Senators for $950 million US from the estate of late Eugene Melnyk in Sept., 2023, Andlauer has stated that the organization needs to do a better job attracting fans from the Gatineau region.
The club has agreed to purchase 11 acres of land from the National Capital Commission to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats.
The two sides are working hard to complete the final sale of the land, and we’re at least six years away from the Senators playing at Lebreton.
But a move downtown by the Senators will bring them within close proximity of Gatineau and purchasing the Olympiques couldn’t hurt the club’s marketing on the Quebec side.
The Senators held a Black-and-White intra-squad game at the Slush Puppie in Sept. 2024. Andlauer, who has been hosted by the ownership group of the Olympiques at some of the club’s home games in the past, has said that the rink reminds him of a smaller Centre Videotron.
That is the rink that was built in Quebec City in an attempt to bring the NHL back to that city. The 4,080-seat Slush Puppie arena, which costs $79 million to build, opened in 2021, and much of the design was based on the Centre Videotron.
The Slush Puppie arena is an intimate venue with a big-league feel about 15 minutes from downtown Ottawa.
Before the start of last season, Andlauer held his season-opening press conference at a groundbreaking for the expansion of the Laiterie de l’Outaouais, which was playing a role in the club’s Future Sens program.
The Laiterie is undergoing a $17-million expansion and modernization, which includes investments from the city of Gatineau, along with the provincial and federal governments.
https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-senator...neau-olympiques-deeper-quebec-connection
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