The Canadian artist is the latest celebrity to throw his hat in the ring to own the NHL’s Ottawa Senators
One week after Snoop Dogg joined Ryan Reynolds in an opposing group bidding on the Ottawa Senators, singer The Weeknd threw his hat in the ring.
The Ottawa Sun reported on Saturday that The Weeknd, the stage name for 33-year-old Abel Tesfaye, has joined a group led by Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel hoping to make the purchase.
In recent weeks, Reynolds, 46, and Snoop, 51, joined separate groups bidding on the franchise.
The three celebrities are now part of three opposing purchasing groups hoping to buy the Senators, who are currently up for sale with a price tag that reportedly may eclipse $1 billion — the most expensive sale in the league’s 106-year history.
The Weeknd grew up in Toronto and is a hockey fan.
“He doesn’t like to be in the media very often so this really says something that he wants to be part of a bid,” a source told the Sun. “He wants to get this deal done, he wants to build something that will be great in Ottawa and he’ll be a good fit. He’s got a lot of connections of worldwide.”
There’s a May 15 deadline for bids on the NHL franchise, according to The Sun.
There are reportedly seven groups in total currently bidding on the team, which has not won a Stanley Cup since they joined the league in 1992 and has had a losing record in five of the last six seasons.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during a recent interview on Sirius XM that having a celebrity owner “can be a plus for the franchise going forward.”
The Senators missed the playoffs again this season and finished with the sixth-worst record out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference.
Reynolds first brought A-list attention to the sale last November when he appeared on The Tonight Show and told host Jimmy Fallon he was looking for a partner with “really deep pockets” to help him purchase the team. “I need a sugar mommy or a sugar daddy,” the movie star joked.
The group Reynolds partnered with, the Remington Group, is reportedly preparing a $1 billion offer for the team. Last week, Snoop partnered with a group of investors led by Los Angeles-based film producer Neko Sparks, who is also preparing an offer.
Source: people.com
