The Weeknd Joins Bid for NHL’s Ottawa Senators: Report

The star-studded bidding war over the Ottawa Senators is heating up, as The Weeknd has reportedly thrown his hat into the ring to purchase the NHL team.

The “Blinding Lights” superstar has joined a group led by Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group aiming to make the purchase, according to a report from Ottawa Sun. The publication added that the Toronto native (born Abel Tesfaye) is a longtime hockey fan and has personal ties to Ottawa, Canada.

Billboard has reached out to The Weeknd’s reps for confirmation.

Snoop Dogg and another famous Canadian, Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds, have also previously joined separate groups bidding on the team, which hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since they joined the NHL in 1992. The bidding deadline is May 15. Reynolds and the Remington Group are reportedly preparing a $1 billion bid. According to Ottawa Sun, there are seven groups currently bidding for the purchase.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed during a SiriusXM interview last week that having a celebrity as part of an ownership group in Ottawa could be beneficial for the team. “It can be a plus for the franchise going forward,” he shared. “But the bids are going to have to stand on their own merit.”

In a new cover story for W magazine promoting his upcoming HBO series The Idol, The Weeknd said he’s considering leaving his stage name behind. “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” he said. “I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”