The Ottawa Senators have a new owner. The Philadelphia Flyers have a new front office member. The New York Rangers have a new head coach. On a busy NHL news day that saw the Vegas Golden Knights win their first-ever Stanley Cup, some teams that did not participate in the Stanley Cup Final made headlines as well.
Michael Andlauer buys Ottawa Senators
The biggest piece of non-Stanley Cup Final NHL news: Michael Andlauer, Toronto billionaire and owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs, has won the Ottawa Senators ownership sweepstakes. He and Senators Sports and Entertainment are in agreement for him to purchase the team for $950 million in U.S. dollars.
Andlauer made his fortune through his work in the transportation industry, more recently in healthcare transportation. His bid won out over other star-studded bids for the Senators. Ryan Reynolds, Canadian actor and co-owner of Wrexham FC, had shown interest in buying the team but backed out before the May 15 deadline. Groups that lost out on the Senators include one headed by billionaires Michael and Jeffrey Kimel featuring The Weeknd and another led by Neko Sparks featuring Snoop Dogg.
Per the Senators press release, Anna and Olivia Melnyk, the daughters of former owner Eugene Melnyk, will retain 10% equity in the team. Andlauer will also relinquish his minority stake in the Montreal Canadiens.
Patrick Sharp joins Philadelphia Flyers front office
Patrick Sharp is back where his career began: Broad Street. He joins Keith Jones as the second former Flyers player and NHL on TNT analyst to rejoin the Flyers as an executive within the span of three weeks. His official job title is “Special Advisor to Hockey Operations.”
Sharp played for the Flyers for three seasons before being traded to Chicago in the 2005-06 season. He would go on to win three Stanley Cups and accrue 249 goals and 283 assists for 532 points in 749 games across two tenures with the Blackhawks.
After his retirement in 2018, Sharp became an analyst for the NHL on NBC from 2019 to 2021. After NBC Sports Network was discontinued, Sharp joined the NHL on TNT staff where he would resume the role he left at NBC.
Rangers hire Peter Laviolette as next head coach
The Metropolitan Division has dominated NHL news as of late, from Columbus’ two trades to Philadelphia’s front office changes. Shifting the scene to Broadway, the New York Rangers have found their next head coach: Peter Laviolette. He becomes the 37th man to commandeer the Rangers in franchise history. This move was made weeks after the Rangers fired Gerard Gallant following their first-round exit in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Laviolette has coached five teams in his career as a head coach: the New York Islanders (2001-2003), the Carolina Hurricanes (2003-2009, won the Stanley Cup in 2006), the Philadelphia Flyers (2009-2013, fired mid-season), the Nashville Predators (2014-2020, fired mid-season), and the Washington Capitals (2020-2023).
The longtime head coach is one of four in NHL history to coach three separate teams to the Stanley Cup Final: the aforementioned Hurricanes, the Flyers in 2010, and the Predators in 2017. On the contrary, Peter Laviolette-coached teams have not won a playoff series since 2019. Peter Laviolette teams are known to win in the regular season, but will it be enough to satisfy James Dolan?
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