Actor Ryan Reynolds hails from Canada, so it’s no surprise that the 46-year-old is now interested in becoming part of the ownership of an NHL team.
The Deadpool star already owns an international football squad, as he purchased Wrexham AFC several years ago, and the team has recently achieved success.
Wrexham had been in the fifth tier of English soccer for 15 years but recently moved into the fourth tier with Reynolds among the owners.
With the Ottawa Senators going on sale several months ago following the death of Eugene Melnyk, the owner since 2003, Reynolds is part of a group preparing a bid.
Reynolds was born in Vancouver, Canada, and grew up as a Senators fan, so his attempt to become an owner makes perfect sense.
Here are more details about Reynolds’ attempt to become an owner of an NHL team as the Senators look for new ownership.
Ryan Reynolds is part of a group preparing a $1B bid for the NHL’s Senators
The news of Reynolds’ pursuit of ownership for the Senators arrived via the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch on Friday. According to Garrioch’s report, Reynolds is preparing the $1 billion bid alongside real estate magnate Christopher Bratty and the Remington group.
The bid is not only for the Senators but also the venue they play their home games in, the Canadian Tire Centre, which first opened as the Palladium in 1996, and later became the Coral Centre and Scotiabank Place.
The Sun report also indicates it’s believed that Reynolds and Bratty would build a new rink for the Senators close to downtown Ottawa surrounded by an entertainment district.
Reynolds and the Remington Group are just one party involved in the bidding. Also in the running to own the NHL team are Canada’s prominent real estate magnate, the Kimmel Family, and a group led by Neko Sparks.
Sparks’ group includes actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who notably became involved in sports in the past few years when he and his business partner Dany Garcia were part of a group that bought Vince McMahon’s XFL football league before it could go bankrupt.
Others entering bids for the Senators include Vivek Ranadive, the owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and Toronto billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos. Per the Sun report, Sparks’ group reportedly had the highest bid in the first round at over $900 million.
Reynolds confirmed his interest in acquiring the Senators last year
Rumors first popped up about Reynolds’ interest within the past year. He confirmed his interest in owning the Senators during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last November. The actor said he was part of a “consortium” to try to own the team, which he called “a fancy way of saying I need a sugar daddy or sugar mommy.”
“It’s really expensive,” Reynolds told Fallon, adding, “I need to partner with someone with really deep pockets.”
“If that doesn’t work out, I’ll buy a US Senator, which anyone can afford,” he joked.
The deadline for offers to acquire the Ottawa Senators arrives on May 15, and Reynolds and the Remington group will reportedly be “aggressive” in their attempts to own the team.
Aside from ownership of sports teams, Reynolds will appear in the third installment of the popular comic book-inspired Deadpool movies. This time, he’ll have Hugh Jackman as a co-star, with Jackman reprising the role of the slasher superhero, Wolverine, as Deadpool gets integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As of this report, the anticipated release date is November 8, 2024.