Ryan Reynolds has confirmed rumors about his interest in acquiring the Ottawa Senators.
Posted at 9:22
Updated at 10:47 a.m.
The Canadian actor discussed the possibility of buying the NHL club as part of the Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon asked Reynolds about buying the Senators from the estate of former owner Eugene Melnyk, and admitted he’s trying to buy the team from Canada’s federal capital.
“Yeah, that’s true,” said Reynolds, who already co-owns Welsh soccer club Wrexham along with fellow actor Rob McElhenney. “That’s what I try to do. It is very expensive.
Reynolds then added, laughing, “I need a partner who has really deep pockets.”
The magazine Forbes estimates the Senators’ value at about $525 million, and Melnyk’s estate has previously hinted that the team will be sold only if prospective buyers agree to keep it in Ottawa.
Reynolds discussed both issues during his interview with Fallon.
The star of the film series Dead Pool indicated that he will have to be the headliner of the consortium that wants to acquire the Senators, “a polite way of saying that I need a pimp (sugar daddy) or a pimp (sugar mommy)”.
Reynolds said he considers himself a Vancouverite, but said he also grew up in Vanier, a neighborhood in Ottawa’s east end.
Melnyk bought the Senators in 2003 for $92 million, when the franchise was facing bankruptcy and its future in the nation’s capital looked bleak.
The day-to-day operations of the team have been handled by the office of directors since Melnyk’s passing.