MONTREAL — Two hours before game time, Michael Andlauer welcomed his family inside the luxury suite tucked near the Zamboni entrance at the Bell Centre.
They have spent countless hours inside this room, which is located just a few steps away from the family’s longtime season tickets along the glass in section 117.
“Feels weird, right?” Andlauer cracked as his wife, Lucie, and son, Michael Jr., entered the suite.
It was Andlauer’s first time inside their old stomping grounds as owner of the Ottawa Senators. Suddenly the painting on the wall featuring the likes of Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur depicts legends wearing an enemy sweater.
Andlauer invited The Athletic to sit with him for an extended conversation as he prepared for the game. He revealed that as part of the agreement he made when selling off his minority share of the Montreal Canadiens, he asked Geoff Molson for one small favour.
When the Senators made their first visit to Montreal in January, Andlauer wanted a chance to sit in his old season tickets one last time.
“This is the last time I sit in those seats,” Andlauer said. “So there are some emotions.”
Andlauer held those three seats along the glass for more than a dozen years, faithfully attending as many games as he could when he was in the…
