MONTREAL — There seems to be more to the sale of Andlauer Transportation‘s retail goods hauling fleet to trucking giant TransForce than just trucks and bucks.

Michael Andlauer, owner of Andlauer Transportation Services, told a Hamilton newspaper that he sold half of his trucking and logistics business to fund a stake in the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, which was sold by George N. Gillett to a consortium made up of Molson, BCE, and Andlauer.

TransForce, Canada’s largest group of for-hire carrier companies, last week announced the acquisition of the Retail Solutions Division of ATS, which has about $120 million in revenues and is made up of a group of 165 owner-operators.

ATS’ niche Healthcare Division was not part of the deal.

Andlauer — who is also the owner of the Habs’ American Hockey League farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs — told The Hamilton Spectator that he was first approached by the Canadiens last April.

He had just spent a "sizable fortune" buying back his company from income trust status, however, and had to pass at the time.

But a deal didn’t get done right away and as the months passed with various interests trying to piece together potential ownership groups, the opportunity arose once again.

"And the more I got involved, the more I realized that this was definitely achievable," he told the paper.

To make it happen, though, Andlauer had to part with half of his company he started in 1991. "It was a very emotional day for me … But that was obviously part of the liquidity event for me to be able to buy the significant stake in the Canadiens."

"This really is a dream come true for me and my family," said Andlauer, who grew up as a Habs fan in Montreal.

We hockey fans from around the rest of the country (especially us down way west on the 401) won’t hold it against him.