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In 2022, the Ottawa Senators hit the market in the wake of the death of Eugene Melnyk, who purchased the franchise for $92 million in 2003.
Last year, a report surfaced that suggested Ryan Reynolds was intrigued by the idea of expanding his burgeoning sports ownership empire, and he seemingly got an assist from the NHL based on a story that claimed the league had told interested buyers it wanted the actor involved in the sale in some capacity.
The man who purchased Wrexham AFC with Rob McElhenney admitted he needed a “sugar daddy” if he wanted to make that goal a reality, and at the end of April, we learned he’d found one in the form of The Remington Group, which is reportedly gearing up to submit a $1 billion bid for the franchise ahead of the May 15th deadline.
However, things took an interesting turn this week when a new potential owner entered the arena courtesy of Neko Sports, which attempted to see and raise that offer by adding Snoop Dogg into the fold as a potential co-owner.
The rapper (who wore a Pittsburgh Penguins and Springfield Indians jersey in the music video for “Gin and Juice”) is a lifelong hockey fan, and he made it clear his involvement is anything but a publicity stunt during a recent conversation with The Athletic.
While you might not think the Long Beach native has a connection to the city the Senators call home, he asserted he’s big fan of Ottawa, saying:
“Every time I’ve come through the city, they’ve rolled out the red carpet for me. The fans, the city…
When you go around the world as much as I have, there are certain places that stick out in your heart. Everywhere I go in Canada, it’s always been love, but there’s something about Ottawa.”
He also said he hoped his involvement would give him the chance to grow a sport where players from minority groups have historically been underrepresented to a fairly blinding degree, noting, “I’ve always wanted to do something in hockey with kids. Because I never had hockey offered to me as a kid.”
He also called out one of the NHL’s most glaring issues while addressing the league’s fairly lackluster attempt to market its product, saying:
“They don’t know how to market. Like McDavid. He’s the number one hockey player in the world. Why doesn’t he have commercials everywhere?”
There’s no telling how the bidding will pan out, but as is the case with Reynolds Snoop definitely seems like he’d be a valuable asset for the team, the NHL, and hockey as a whole.