Another big name has entered the race to buy the Ottawa Senators.
Snoop Dogg is part of a prospective ownership group led by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, the rapper confirmed on social media Monday.
“Amazing what @neko_sparks is trying to do in Ottawa & I’m looking forward to being apart of that ownership team,” Snoop Dogg posted on Instagram. “I WANNA BRING HOCKEY TO OUR COMMUNITY.”
Sparks and his group would be the first Black-led ownership group in the NHL if they are successful in their bid for the Senators.
The news of Snoop’s involvement, first reported by The Athletic, adds another wrinkle to the Senators ownership process, which is heating up. He joins another A-list celebrity, Ryan Reynolds, as a prospective owner of the Senators. Multiple reports say May 15 is the deadline for final bids.
“He’s passionately involved. He’s coming up with ideas. And he’s legitimately excited,” a source told The Athletic about Snoop’s involvement. “He wants this team.”
Snoop has a number of business ventures on top of his rap career, including a liquor brand, restaurants, music production studios and a venture capital firm specializing in cannabis startups.
He is also a longtime hockey fan. Snoop has provided commentary for Los Angeles Kings broadcast in the past. And he has worn Senators jerseys during performances in Ottawa, including at Bluesfest.
Reynolds has partnered with Toronto-based real estate firm the Remington Group to make a bid. Postmedia has reported that the group is preparing a bid of more than $1 billion to buy the Senators and the Canadian Tire Centre.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in late March that there were about a half-dozen groups seeking to buy the team.
The Senators have been on the market since the family of late owner Eugene Melnyk put the team up for sale in November.
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