If Ryan Reynolds becomes a part-owner of the Ottawa Senators, he won't be just any kind of supporter — he'll be a "frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen."
For all the expectations that Reynolds might inject a whole new level of excitement into the NHL if he's part of a successful bid, he appears more than ready to deliver.
Does NHL commissioner Gary Bettman know what he's getting into?
Reynolds, who made the comments in an interview with Derek Monias, the student chief at Dennis Franklin Cromarty high school in Thunder Bay, Ont., has been vocal about being part of Ottawa's ownership group in recent months.
The Senators initiated the process for a sale on Nov. 4. Four days later, Ottawa fans welcomed Reynolds with an ovation when he attended a game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bettman confirmed he'd met with the Hollywood star, and made it clear he's a fan himself.
"Bill (Daly) and I met with Ryan Reynolds, who very much impressed us," Bettman said at 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 noted there are more than a dozen parties interested in the Senators, several of which Reynolds has met with, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last month.
Though Reynolds calls Vancouver home, the 46-year-old also grew up in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Vanier. In fact, Reynolds had a street named after him by the City of Ottawa in February.
"I have a real connection to Ottawa for the community of Ottawa," said Reynolds in his interview with 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."
And Reynolds could be part of that explosion. As part owner of Welsh soccer club Wrexham A.F.C., Reynolds alongside co-owner Rob McElhenney brought tons of attention to the fifth-division club with a docu-series "Welcome to Wrexham" — something Senators fans hope he could replicate in Ottawa.
"We'll see where it shakes out. The journey has also been really interesting," said Reynolds of the bidding process. "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."
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