Take one last loving look at the above photo illustration, as Ryan Reynolds will not be part of the new ownership of the Ottawa Senators after all.
Late Thursday (May 11), a report from ESPN cited "multiple sources close to the process" confirming that Reynolds, in partnership with GTA-based land developer Remington Group, would not move ahead with their reported billion-dollar bid for the National Hockey League franchise, four days ahead of the deadline for non-binding offers for the team (May 15).
ESPN's initial report was later confirmed in-market by the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch, who revealed in his respective report that the Reynolds-involved group had asked Galatioto Sports Partners, the New York-based investment bank facilitating the sale, for an exclusive, 30-day negotiating window with the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission to secure a deal to build a new arena closer to Ottawa's downtown — a request that was ultimately denied.
Garrioch later added on Twitter that Reynolds and his Maximum Effort film production company had "[planned] to do a two-year behind the scenes Welcome to Wrexham type series that outlined the purchase of the #Sens and the hopeful road to the playoffs." To say nothing of Reynolds's own film appearances, the Senators-centred series would have had major star power involved.
With Reynolds officially out of the picture, let's examine just how badly Ottawans wanted this relationship to happen. At the start of 2023, Senators goaltender Cam Talbot had a mask painted with a Deadpool-themed design in hopes of wooing the prospective owner, fittingly playing the rest of the regular season in a fashion that could only be described as antiheroic.
On the fandom side, someone even authored a full-colourmarketing pamphlet children's book called Ryan the Bold, in which the titular protagonist wields his wealth, influence and winning smile "to save our hockey team," demonstrating that the nation's capital will only ever need saving from itself.
Even with the Reynolds-backed bid out of the running, the sale of the Ottawa Senators has seen a few other celebrities come out of the woodwork to express interest.
In early May, it was revealed that Snoop Dogg was sniffing around the Sens as part of a bid headed up by L.A.-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, while the Weeknd (who should involve Belly, if he's being serious) was most recently tied to a bid involving Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group.
Garrioch notes in his report, "There has been no indication Reynolds, who spent part of his youth in Ottawa, has plans to join another [ownership] group. The possibility exists, though, so you should never say 'never.'" At this point, Reynolds's focus may now turn to building that "massive" new production studio in Markham, ON.
Late Thursday (May 11), a report from ESPN cited "multiple sources close to the process" confirming that Reynolds, in partnership with GTA-based land developer Remington Group, would not move ahead with their reported billion-dollar bid for the National Hockey League franchise, four days ahead of the deadline for non-binding offers for the team (May 15).
ESPN's initial report was later confirmed in-market by the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch, who revealed in his respective report that the Reynolds-involved group had asked Galatioto Sports Partners, the New York-based investment bank facilitating the sale, for an exclusive, 30-day negotiating window with the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission to secure a deal to build a new arena closer to Ottawa's downtown — a request that was ultimately denied.
Garrioch later added on Twitter that Reynolds and his Maximum Effort film production company had "[planned] to do a two-year behind the scenes Welcome to Wrexham type series that outlined the purchase of the #Sens and the hopeful road to the playoffs." To say nothing of Reynolds's own film appearances, the Senators-centred series would have had major star power involved.
With Reynolds officially out of the picture, let's examine just how badly Ottawans wanted this relationship to happen. At the start of 2023, Senators goaltender Cam Talbot had a mask painted with a Deadpool-themed design in hopes of wooing the prospective owner, fittingly playing the rest of the regular season in a fashion that could only be described as antiheroic.
On the fandom side, someone even authored a full-colour
Even with the Reynolds-backed bid out of the running, the sale of the Ottawa Senators has seen a few other celebrities come out of the woodwork to express interest.
In early May, it was revealed that Snoop Dogg was sniffing around the Sens as part of a bid headed up by L.A.-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, while the Weeknd (who should involve Belly, if he's being serious) was most recently tied to a bid involving Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group.
Garrioch notes in his report, "There has been no indication Reynolds, who spent part of his youth in Ottawa, has plans to join another [ownership] group. The possibility exists, though, so you should never say 'never.'" At this point, Reynolds's focus may now turn to building that "massive" new production studio in Markham, ON.
