Ryan Reynolds is already making it clear what type of owner he'd be if he is bale to join the Ottawa Senators' ownership group. In an interview with Derek Monias of Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay, Ont., Reynolds revealed that he plans to be a "frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen."
"If we progress with the Ottawa Senators I will be a frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen," Reynolds said. "There's not too much I can say about that now, but I have a real connection to Ottawa, to the community of Ottawa."
Reynolds has made it clear in recent weeks that he is very serious about owning a piece of the Senators. The 46-year-old actor even met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss the process of owning an NHL franchise.
"Bill (Daly) and I met with Ryan Reynolds, who very much impressed us," Bettman said during the recent NHL Board of Governors meetings. "If we can figure out a way to have him included, I think that's great for the Senators and I think that would be great for the league."
Bettman also stated that there are over 12 parties interested in purchasing the Senators, many of which Reynolds has met with, according to a report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The Senators officially put the team up for sale on Nov. 4.
While Reynolds hails from Vancouver, he did grow up in the Ottawa neighborhood of Vanier. The actor even had a street named after him in Ottawa in February 2022.
"I have a real connection to Ottawa for the community of Ottawa," Reynolds told Monias. "I don't feel like I have a unilateral perspective on the community in Ottawa, but I certainly have a perspective on how to tell the story of Ottawa. In, you know, through the prism of what it means to me.
"I spent quite a bit of time there when I was younger and I think that the Ottawa Senators as an organization can explode. Not just within its own community, within Canada, but also I think globally."
It wouldn't be Reynolds' first venture into owning a sports franchise. Reynolds and fellow actor Ronb McElhenney own Welsh soccer club Wrexham A.F.C. after purchasing the team in 2020.
"We'll see where it shakes out. The journey has also been really interesting," Reynolds added. "I've learned so much. I learned more about the inner workings of NHL over the last couple of months than I would have ever dreamed. So, it's been it's been a lot of fun."
