Ryan Reynolds teams up with investment group in bid for NHL side Ottawa Senators

14 February 2023 , 16:52

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Ryan Reynolds wants to buy the Ottawa Senators and add to his portfolio (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds is set to team up with a Toronto-based real estate company in a bid to purchase National Hockey League side Ottawa Senators.

The Hollywood actor is loving life as a sporting owner, but although he's fallen in love with Wrexham and soccer, he's been interested in purchasing something a little closer to home for some time. Now those dreams have progressed into a potential reality, as he's set to team up with the Remington Group and attempt to buy the Senators.

Journalist Bruce Garrioch reported in the Ottawa Sun on Monday that Reynolds and the investment group will make a bid for the team and reportedly plan to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats, a neighbourhood in downtown Ottawa. Reynolds would be the new face of the Senators’ franchise, taking on a similar role to the one at Wrexham.

The group Reynolds could team up with is an established real estate development company, and conduct the majority of their business in Southern Ontario. A huge part of their bid is leaning on building a brand new facility for the Senators in the downtown area, to replace their current home that sits outside of the city.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has already welcomed Reynolds' proposal, and believes that his introduction would only boost the popularity of the league. According to reports, if Reynolds' bid was successful, the actor plans to bring his production company with him to produce another hit series.

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The series would reportedly focus around the purchase of the team and also the development of the new stadium. Reynolds has already seen huge success with Welcome to Wrexham on Disney Plus, and wants to replicate that with the Senators.

The Senators could be given a huge lift (Chris O'Meara/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Reynolds and the Remington Group aren't the only bidders though, as there are up to five interested parties, keen on taking over with the franchise valued at $800million. The Melnyk family currently own the team, but are open to a sale after Eugene Melnyk sadly passed away in March 2022.

The Wrexham owner declared his intentions last year, and has a love for Ottawa after living near the Canadian capital. The Hollywood star is keen to add to his portfolio, and essentially plead for some help on The Tonight Show in America.

Reynolds teased his interest on the Tonight Show last year (Twitter/The Tonight Show)

"I am trying to do it," Reynolds said when asked about the idea of buying the Senators. "But it’s very expensive. I need a partner with very deep pockets.

"It’s called a consortium when you form a group together to buy an entity," Reynolds added. "It’s a fancy way of saying I need a sugar mummy or a sugar daddy.

"I grew up in Vancouver which has my heart. But I also grew up in Ottawa. I spent a long time in Vanier, which is a little town right inside Ottawa."

Joseph McBride