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GARRIOCH: Michael Andlauer reaches deal in principle to buy Ottawa Senators

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The dawn of a new era is on the way for the Ottawa Senators.

League sources told Postmedia Tuesday Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer’s bid, which believed to be worth close to  $1 billion (all figures U.S.), has been moved to the front of the line by New York-based banker Galatioto Sports Partners (GSP) and the Melnyk estate.

Sources say Andlauer has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Senators. That means his offer has been elevated to the next stage of due diligence and work will now ramp up with the National Hockey League to try to close the deal.

“(Andlauer) will be a great owner,” a source said.

With an agreement in principle signed with Andlauer, it will need approval from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the league’s executive board. That group met last Wednesday but could reconvene if necessary.

From there, the agreement will be passed onto the board of governors and though they’re scheduled to meet in New York June 22, it might be a stretch to have the deal approved by then.

At the very least, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will give the governors a full update on where the sale is at when the governors get together.

Andlauer’s current status ahead of the other three bids has resulted in the total elimination of Jeffrey and Michael Kimel or Los Angeles producer Neko Sparks, but the status of both is hanging by a thread.

As Postmedia first reported at the deadline May 15 for binding bids, Andlauer along with Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos along with Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of Harlo Capital and Sparks, submitted binding bids.

If the club sells for $1 billion that’s the highest price a franchise has sold for in NHL history. The late Eugene Melnyk purchased the Senators out of bankruptcy in 2003 and under the terms of this sale the club must remain in Ottawa.

Sources say the league liked Andlauer’s vision for the city, his plans for the club’s brand and the ability of his family to try to help bring a Stanley Cup to Ottawa.

The four bids ranged from somewhere between $850 million and $1 billion (all figures U.S.). Since GSP received those bids, they’ve worked with the groups involved to get the best price possible for the National Hockey League team.

Apostolopoulos walked away Friday out of frustration with the process and we believe Andlauer then pushed for a deal to get done or he’d do the same.

Sources say Andlauer has the wherewithal to do this deal and is determined to build a winner in Ottawa.

It’s believed, Anna and Olivia, will retain as much as 10% stake once the deal is approved by the NHL.

A part-owner of the Montreal Canadiens, Andlauer wanted to win this deal badly, and had to raise his bid to make it happen. He will also have to sell his share in the Habs.

Now the work on closing the deal will heat up. That won’t happen in nearly enough time for the NHL’s board of governors meeting, which is set for later this month in New York.

Bettman will give the governors an update on the sale, providing details of the agreement in principle and what it took to get there. The sale needs two-thirds approval of the board.

The NHL will give the board as much detail as it can so that, when it comes time to vote, the governors are informed enough to rubber-stamp the decision after being updated on any changes that may have happened during closing.

The Melnyk estate announced on Nov. 7 the club was officially up for sale and that GSP had been retained to handle the deal. The only stipulation was a “condition of any sale will be that the team remains in Ottawa.”

That came after Eugene Melnyk’s passing in March 2022. The franchise is part of the massive estate Melnyk left to Anna and Olivia, and it has been operating business as usual since his death after a lengthy illness.

Sources say Andlauer supports the idea of a new downtown arena, but hasn’t decided whether that should be at LeBreton Flats or somewhere closer to downtown.

Since the Senators won preferred-bidder status from the National Capital Commission in June 2022 to build a rink on a seven-acre parcel of land at LeBreton Flats, we’ve insisted the city will have to play a role to make the project work.

That’s why the seven groups that visited the city during Phase 2 of the process in late-March and early-April met with NCC CEO Tobi Nussbaum to discuss the project.

Nussbaum has said there is room for flexibility on the size of the parcel of land, but Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has suggested options publicly that have piqued the interest of some of the bidders.

The 14 acres at Bayview Yards is the most interesting parcel that Sutcliffe has said the city might be willing to talk about and several of the bidders are interested in that location.

Sutcliffe didn’t mention the DND headquarters near the Rideau Centre, but some of the groups have studied that option.

 

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Alouettes receiver Philpot announces he’ll be out for the rest of season

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Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.

The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.

“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.

Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.

The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.

Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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David Lipsky shoots 65 to take 1st-round lead at Silverado in FedEx Cup Fall opener

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NAPA, Calif. (AP) — David Lipsky shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday at Silverado Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Procore Championship.

Winless in 104 events since joining the PGA Tour in 2022, Lipsky went out with the early groups and had eight birdies with one bogey to kick off the FedEx Cup Fall series at the picturesque course in the heart of Napa Valley wine country.

After missing the cut in his three previous tournaments, Lipsky flew from Las Vegas to Arizona to reunite with his college coach at Northwestern to get his focus back. He also spent time playing with some of the Northwestern players, which helped him relax.

“Just being around those guys and seeing how carefree they are, not knowing what’s coming for them yet, it’s sort of nice to see that,” Lipsky said. “I was almost energized by their youthfulness.”

Patton Kizzire and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back. Kizzire started on the back nine and made a late run with three consecutive birdies to move into a tie for first. A bogey on No. 8 dropped him back.

“There was a lot of good stuff out there today,” Kizzire said. “I stayed patient and just went through my routines and played well, one shot at a time. I’ve really bee working hard on my mental game and I think that allowed me to rinse and repeat and reset and keep playing.”

Mark Hubbard was at 67. He had nine birdies but fell off the pace with a bogey and triple bogey on back-to-back holes.

Kevin Dougherty also was in the group at 67. He had two eagles and ended his afternoon by holing out from 41 yards on the 383-yard, par-4 18th.

Defending champion Sahith Theegala had to scramble for much of his round of 69.

Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open in 2023 and the AT&T at Pebble Beach in February, had a 70.

Max Homa shot 71. The two-time tournament champion and a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup in two weeks had two birdies and overcame a bogey on the par-4 first.

Stewart Cink, the 2020 winner, also opened with a 71. He won The Ally Challenge last month for his first PGA Tour Champions title.

Three players from the Presidents Cup International team had mix results. Min Woo Lee shot 68, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., 69 and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., 73. International team captain Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., also had a 69.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., had a 68, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., shot 70 and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., had a 71.

Lipsky was a little shaky off the tee for much of the afternoon but made up for it with steady iron play that left him in great shape on the greens. He had one-putts on 11 holes and was in position for a bigger day but left five putts short.

Lipsky’s only real problem came on the par-4 ninth when his approach sailed into a bunker just shy of the green. He bounced back nicely with five birdies on his back nine. After missing a 19-foot putt for birdie on No. 17, Lipsky ended his day with a 12-foot par putt.

That was a big change from last year when Lipsky tied for 30th at Silverado when he drove the ball well but had uneven success on the greens.

“Sometimes you have to realize golf can be fun, and I think I sort of forgot that along the way as I’m grinding it out,” Lipsky said. “You’ve got to put things in perspective, take a step back. Sort of did that and it seems like it’s working out.”

Laird stayed close after beginning his day with a bogey on the par-4 10th. The Scot got out of the sand nicely but pushed his par putt past the hole.

Homa continued to have issues off the tee and missed birdie putts on his final four holes.

___

AP golf:

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Canada’s Marina Stakusic advances to quarterfinals at Guadalajara Open

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic is moving on to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.

The Mississauga, Ont., native defeated the tournament top seed, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) in the round of 16 on Thursday.

Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.

The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match.

Stakusic had five aces with 17 double faults in the three-hour, four-minute match.

However, she converted eight of her 18 break-point opportunities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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