Ottawa Is Not Wrexham

The image to the left is an actual comment that Ryan Reynolds made on Instagram after Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews shared photos on the social media site of Matthews using a special stick and skates to support the SickKids Foundation. Reynolds has done a ton of work with the charity over the years, so you knew the Canadian actor would likely be tickled pink that Matthews was using gear in support of the charity. However, Reynolds has never gotten involved in hockey in Vancouver, so his involvement in a potential sale regarding the Ottawa Senators as reported by People magazine today seemed a little confusing at best.

We've seen Ryan jump into sports ownership before, though, as I'm sure you're very aware of his football club ownership of the Welsh club Wrexham AFC thanks in large part to the TV show that has documented the experience that Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney have undertaken as owners. At times, it's been a trial by fire, but there's no denying that Reynolds has become a major football fan thanks to his involvement with this business venture.

According to Ryan Parker in People magazine, a source close to the Deadpool actor has told the magazine that "Reynolds is very interested in buying the Ottawa Senators should the NHL team ultimately be sold" and that the actor feels it's important that "the team stay in Ottawa". When reached by the magazine, "[a] representative for Reynolds, 46, declined to comment".

First, let me just say that there's likely a good reason why the representative declined to comment, and that's because the suggestion that Reynolds is buying the Senators as a sole proprietor is not only insane, but downright laughable. While he likely has the net worth to be considered as potential owner, there's absolutely no way that Reynolds is doing this on his own in any way, shape, or form.

Second, I don't know when People magazine switched to being a tabloid, but it would appear that the magazine is putting a lot of stock in a tweet that literally could be interpreted in a hundred different ways. The tweet from Reynolds is shown below.

If one were to ask me, this is Reynolds simply being playfully fun with a fan who is making a rather ridiculous request. We know he took the plunge into the world of English football with his purchase of Wrexham, but Rob McElhenney was the man with the dream who sold Reynolds on that adventure. The idea of Reynolds owning the Senators is so far out in left field, though, that the Wrexham purchase actually seems far more rational from a business standpoint. If this is to what People magazine is pinning its story, this is nothing more than trashy, tabloid sensationalism that should be stricken from the record.

"But Teebz," some will say, "they have a source who said..," and that's where I'll cut that line off because an unnamed source who is neither a representative nor anyone involved with the Senators is nothing more than a writer covering his own behind when trying to break a salacious story. If there truly is a source, who would risk one's trust by speaking out with a claim like this? Hollywood actors aren't out there spilling the beans about their financial commitments and investments to anyone, so let's call this what it is: a fabrication. There simply is no unnamed source.

This garbage story not only has been published in People magazine, but Yahoo! News picked it up and Sportsnet tweeted it as well. What Ryan Parker, the author of this trash, should have done was engaging some basic journalistic research before writing this garbage by using the internet and contacting real sources. To make this point, Reynolds did an interview with Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for Radio Free Entertainment in 2005 where Reynolds was asked about the NHL lockout. His response to the question is below.

Parker did contact a former Senators executive in Bruce Firestone, and he responded to Parker's query "via email on Wednesday that he is aware of 'at least two local groups who are looking at the opportunity,' but he had not heard Reynolds' name attached to either." Because he's not.

We often hear that where there's smoke, there's fire, but this is nothing more than a writer blowing smoke because Ryan Reynolds sent out a playful tweet in response to a fan. Until you hear of a group that has Reynolds as part of the interested ownership, it's best to let this tire fire just burn itself out because nothing written by Parker has a shred of truth to it. Reynolds may be interested in ownership, but he's not buying the Senators on his own.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!