Photo credit: Bob Bekian / CC from 2.0
Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd were ousted in the Ottawa Senators’ bidding war, both hoping to become the first black owners of an NHL franchise.
Though Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd have expanded their reach through countless brand deals and investments, the musicians’ A-list swagger and household names weren’t enough to break into the NHL franchise business.
Snoop once teamed up with the NHL for the weekly video series “Hockey 101 With Snoop Dogg” in 2018, and more recently the rapper and entrepreneur was part of a group put together by Los Angeles-based business mogul Neko Sparks in a bid to buy the Senators from Ottawa.
Dedicated hockey fan and Toronto native The Weeknd – who now goes by his real name Abel Tesfaye – joined a competing bid spearheaded by billionaire hometown entrepreneurs Jeffrey and Harlo Capital Group’s Michael Kimel. But neither Tesfaye nor Snoop — nor actor Ryan Reynolds, who was said to be among the half-dozen Offer Interested groups could strike a deal.
ESPN reports that the Board of Senators announced on Tuesday that a group led by Michael Andlauer, CEO of Andlauer Healthcare Group, has made a successful nearly $1 billion bid. However, the board has not yet announced the final terms of the deal.
Andlauer, 57, also owns the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs and is required to divest his 10 percent interest in the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens team as part of the deal.
“My family and I are very excited to be a part of Ottawa Senators Hockey Club,” Andlauer said in a statement to ESPN. “I believe the Senators’ fan base is one of the most passionate in the league, and I look forward to taking the franchise’s success – on and off the ice – to the next level.”
According to ESPN, Andlauer’s bid crowded out the Kimels’ bid, while the Sparks’ bid was considered “underfunded.”