Canadian musical artist The Weeknd reportedly has agreed to be a partner in the group led by Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group in their bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators.
“He’s going to be a great partner for Ottawa and the NHL,” a source close to The Weeknd told The Ottawa Sun on Saturday. “The team he works with grew up in Ottawa, so they know the market really well, but he’s the largest musician planet right now. He has the most views, the most streams and he’s a hockey guy.
“He doesn’t like to be in the media very often so this really says something that he wants to be part of a bid. He wants to get this deal done, he wants to build something that will be great in Ottawa and he’ll be a good fit. He’s got a lot of connections worldwide.”
Born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, The Weeknd is a Toronto-area native. The 33-year-old reportedly isn’t the only musical artist interested in pursuing the Senators. The Athletic previously reported hip hop artist Snoop Dogg joined a group led by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks.
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, a Vancouver native and Canucks fan, also is involved in the bidding. Reynolds and the Remington group reportedly are preparing a bid of more than $1 billion to buy the Senators and their arena, the Canadian Tire Centre.
Postmedia reported that all bids are due by May 15.
Last November, eight months after the passing of owner Eugene Melnyk, the Senators announced that the team was up for sale and would remain in the city. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly estimated last month that the sale price would exceed $800 million and possibly more than $1 billion.
–Field Level Media