NHL Loses Billionaire Investor Over Disappointing Process From Gary Bettman
If you've followed the NHL closely over the past few weeks, chances are you know about the ongoing bidding war to buy the Ottawa Senators. The sale, which is being facilitated by late Senators owner Eugene Melnyk's daughters, has been long and drawn out, leaving many fans and business partners alike feeling fatigued and dejected.
Massive Investor Walks Away From Bid
Toronto Billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos self-funded his own bid to own the Senators and was believed to be the front-runner in the race. Despite his willingness to bring his bid over the $1 billion mark, the process has yet to come to a close, and out of frustration, Apostolopoulos has tabled his bid.
It seems like the NHL and the Melnyk Estate had been using Apostolopoulos' bid as a mark for other investing groups to meet, and Apostolopoulos had enough of waiting for an answer. This certainly puts a dent in the NHL's goal to sell the group before the draft and free agency.
Dropping Like Flies
The loss of Apostolopoulos certainly stings for the Melnyk Estate, but it's not even the first investing group they've lost so far. Actor and businessman Ryan Reynolds was the face of his own bidding group and dropped out recently due to his special request for an exclusive negotiating period being denied. It seems like Bettmand and the Melnyk Estate care a lot more about making as much money as possible, rather than getting the best deal for the Senators franchise.
It appears as though Gary Bettman is his own worst enemy, and he keeps overplaying his own hand. The final offer for the Senators might be quite underwhelming for the NHL and the Melnyk Estate, and they'd have no one to blame other than themselves.
As Seen on Hockey Patrol - Billionaire Investor Walks Away From the NHL After Disrespect From Gary Bettman
| POLL | ||
JUIN 9 | 214 ANSWERS NHL Loses Billionaire Investor Over Disappointing Process From Gary Bettman Would you have liked to see Ryan Reynolds own the Senators? | ||
| Yes | 171 | 79.9 % |
| No | 43 | 20.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||