The Ottawa Senators have narrowed down their list of potential bidders for ownership of the franchise.
According to Bruce Garrioch, the Senators are now down to four candidates after today’s deadline for bidders: Steve Apostolopoulos, Michael Andlauer, Neko Sparks, and Jeffrey & Michael Kimel. Based on reports, one of these bids hit $1 billion.
The Sens have been looking for a new ownership after the passing of their previous owner Eugene Melnyk in March 2022. Melnyk’s daughters, Anna and Olivia, oversaw the team during that time, but have now been in the process of selling the team, something that has even gotten attention from big celebrity names like actor Ryan Reynolds and musical artists Snoop Dogg and the Weeknd.
Apostolopoulos is a Canadian billionaire born in Toronto, and is the managing partner of real estate firm Triple Group of Companies, the founder of private equity firm Six Ventures, and co-founder of credit card firm Caary. He previously made a $6 billion bid to purchase the Washington Commanders of the National Football League.
Andlaur is a Toronto-based businessman with the Andlaur Healthcare Group, a company that owns transport and logistics companies in Canada. He is also a minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens and the owner of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League. He had previously freed up major capital by selling off 1.76 million shares in the Andlaur Healthcare Group to raise $86.6 million for the bid.
Sparks is an LA-based producer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, who is reportedly partnering with Snoop Dogg and First Nations Groups for their bid. If he is successful, he would become the first black owner in the NHL.
Jeffrey and Michael Kimel are venture capitalists and hospitality innovators and were former minority owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Michael Kimel co-founded Harlo Entertainment, and is currently the president and CEO of Harlo Capital. He also owns a Toronto esports franchise, the Toronto Deviant, who are a part of the Overwatch League.
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