Snoop Dogg Joins Effort to Purchase Senators

Snoop Dogg is hopping on a collab for the Ottawa Senators. 

The 51-year-old rapper took to Instagram Monday to declare he’s part of a bidding group led by Los Angeles-based businessman Neko Sparks, who seeks to become the first Black controlling owner in NHL history. 

“I’m looking forward to being a part of that ownership team,” Snoop wrote. “I wanna bring hockey to our community.”

Sparks’ group is the most racially diverse among the half-dozen contenders for the Senators. Beyond Sparks and Snoop Dogg, the group counts Adidas executive Daniel Cherry. 

A source told Front Office Sports that other celebrity names could be made public ahead of a May 15 bid deadline. 

A group including actor and Wrexham FC co-owner Ryan Reynolds is preparing to make a $1 billion for the Sens, while Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé is part of another. 

Snoop has been around the sport. He called part of a Penguins-Kings game in 2019, where he said he drank out of the Stanley Cup after one of Los Angeles’ title runs. Paying homage to Canadian hockey commentator Don Cherry, Snoop called himself “Dogg Cherry” and also filmed a series for the NHL ahead of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

But Sparks’ group doesn’t just have starpower — it also has the financial resources to be a serious contender as the deadline approaches. 

The Melnyk family put the franchise on the market in November, months after the death of Eugene Melnyk, who bought the Senators for $92 million in 2003.