By: Audrey Fields
Edited By: Kylie Augis
Since the passing of owner Eugene Melnyk, the future owner of the Ottawa Senators has been a hot topic in the NHL community. Currently, the ownership of the franchise is in the late former owner’s estate. This vacancy has allowed many celebrities to put their name in the running to take over ownership, such as Ryan Reynolds and The Weeknd. Since bidding opened up a few months ago, there have been many developments in the process and different parties involved in it. Let’s dive in:
Beginning
Initially, there were many groups interested in owning the Senators from across both the U.S. and Canada. Some of the most prominent of these groups were the Remington Group, the Kimel family, and Michael Andlauer.
The Remington Group included Ryan Reynolds, who is not only a Canada native but owner of another sports team, Wrexham AFC. The Kimel family, based in Toronto, includes the former Pittsburgh Penguins co-owners and The Weeknd. Michael Andlauer is also Toronto based, is part owner of the Montreal Canadiens and full owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Remington Group will not be moving forward in their bidding, and the final round of bidding was set to end May 15th.
Final Bidders
Bidding ended with the final bids being submitted nearly three weeks ago, and few groups remain in consideration to own the team. They include Michael Andlauer and the Kimel family, as well as two others. The others are Neko Sparks’ group, who seeks to become the first black NHL team owner, and Steve Apostopoulos. Sparks’ group is based in Los-Angeles, and includes rapper Snoop Dogg, Olympian Donovan Bailey and multiple others. Snoop Dogg has told sources that he has joined the bidding war because “kids need to know that there’s an option to play hockey if you look like me”. Steve Apostolopoulos is a solo billionaire businessman based in Toronto who was also recently looking to buy an NFL team, the Washington Commanders.
Is there a Favored Group?
Previously, the Remington Group was the favored bid to take ownership of the franchise. After their dropping out, there is no clear favorite for the win. As of right now, it seems that it is anyone’s game, but there is some speculation that Apostolopoulos is considered a frontrunner after showing he is more serious about this sale than that of the NFL’s Commanders. There is no way to know for sure yet if one group has a significant lead over the rest, but since the bidding is already two weeks over the deadline, we are sure to have an answer very soon.