The NHL’s Ottawa Senators are up for sale following former owner Eugene Melnyk’s death last March, and many celebrities are involved in groups bidding for the team. Comedian Russell Peters has joined the bid from entrepreneur Neko Sparks, including Snoop Dogg and Jamaican sprinter Donovan Bailey, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder in the 100 meters.
Peters announced on Instagram that he was “pumped” to be part of Sparks’ prospective ownership group in their historic bid for the Senators. Sparks’ group is the first-ever Black, Indigenous, South Asian, visible minority group to bid on a National Hockey League team.
Peters, a Canadian-born comedian, has prior connections to the NHL. In 2017, Peters emceed the NHL’s new jersey launch as the league, and Adidas unveiled new-look uniforms for the 2017-18 season. While Peters made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his hometown team—the Toronto Maple Leafs— he still wore the jersey from pride, as he’s originally from Toronto.
Comedian Russell Peters has joined the Neko Sparks bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators 👀. #Sens pic.twitter.com/xkoCqWpl06
— SENS TALK (@senstalk_) May 20, 2023
.@therealrussellp roasted the Leafs before wearing his jersey with pride. pic.twitter.com/EoUgdnJYKr
— BarDown (@BarDown) June 21, 2017
Perhaps he’s ready to change his allegiance to the Senators. Still, it doesn’t appear that’ll affect Peters, who said he had to represent “The biggest losing team in history” before putting on the Leafs’ jersey.
It remains to be seen who ultimately wins the bid for the Senators as they remain up for sale. The addition of celebrities is starting to get a little out of hand.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.