'It's about community and it's about winning': Neko Sparks and his bid for the Ottawa Senators
'It's about community and it's about winning': Neko Sparks and his bid for the Ottawa Senators
While Ottawa has been buzzing with excitement over the prospect of Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds having a stake in the Ottawa Senators, another bidder says he can bring just as much excitement.
Los Angeles-based film producer and entrepreneur Neko Sparks says he's assembled a team that he believes can bring just as much to the Senators and to Ottawa as the Reynolds partnership.
"He's such a good guy, Ryan Reynolds; I love him too," Sparks said in an interview with CTV News Ottawa's Patricia Boal. "Regardless of what happens, it's good for the city, it's good for the team. I don't see it in terms of competition. We offer different things in terms of what we bring."
Sparks was in Ottawa Friday to meet with mayor Mark Sutcliffe and members of the local professional services firm TAAG, which is helping him explore ways to draw long-term support from Canadian families and Senators alumni. He also attended Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Sparks says his goal is to connect the team with the fans and, just as importantly, win games.
"For us, it's about community and it's about winning," he said. "We've got a nice young team and I think we can really do some damage. If we don't get into the playoffs this time, really make a serious playoff run in the next one or two years and build excitement for the new arena."
The Ottawa Senators are currently for sale, following the death of longtime owner Eugene Melnyk last year, and the prospective list of possible buyers has been winnowed down to about six groups, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
While there has been some discussion recently about the possibility that a new arena may not be built at LeBreton Flats, with Bettman saying it's ultimately up to the new owner, Sparks says he likes the idea of moving the team closer to downtown.
While Sparks was very careful about what he revealed in terms of his bid and his partners, he was confident in the group he had assembled.
"We are well-positioned and we are well-backed," he said. "A nice mix of Canadian money, U.K. money and American money."
Sparks says he's assembled a team that includes a good deal of hockey-related experience, including former L.A. Kings captain Mattias Norström and former New Jersey Devils chief marketing officer Daniel Cherry.
"A lot of hockey experience to say, 'You guys have the experience; what do we do to fix the team, get the team winning and the community back to the point where this is their team, they own this team?'" he said. "We have a very, very well-established partner here in Ottawa. There will be a lot of community ownership with the way that we've structured our transaction."
He wouldn't address rumours of high-profile celebrities who may be on board, but said he expects to make a formal announcement in the coming weeks.
"Right now the city is excited about Ryan Reynolds and what he'll bring to the table, but when the time's right we'll definitely announce who we'll bring to the table and we think that we have somebody that will help us achieve the same goals," he said.
Sparks said he came to the game of hockey later in life, but quickly fell in love with it.
"Once I did find hockey, it was like, wow, I was missing this game my entire life. It's exciting, it's fast, it's action-packed, there's everything in that sport," he said.
He capped his visit to Ottawa by taking in Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I keep hearing about this Toronto and Sens rivalry and the energy in the arena, so I'm looking very forward to it," he said with a chuckle.
Neko Sparks attends the Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Canadian Tire Centre. April 1, 2023. (Supplied)
The Leafs beat the Senators 3-0 Saturday night.
If successful, Sparks's group would be the first Black-led ownership group in the NHL.
"Having diverse ownership is always a good thing," Bettman told CTV News Ottawa last Monday as he came to the city to meet with officials. "The question's going to be what is the strongest group? What group has the resources and the ability to execute to make this team even more successful than it's been? We're welcoming the exploration that's going on and if they're the successful bidders, great! But… we haven't gone deep enough yet to pass judgment on any of the groups."
The sale of the team comes with the condition that it remain in the nation's capital. Bettman says there is still about two or three more months' worth of work to clear the final hurdles and establish a new ownership. Bettman says he expects the process to be completed by the summer.
The prosecutor leading an investigation into a horrific knife attack in a French Alpine town says four children aged between 22 months and 3 years suffered life-threatening wounds and that two adults also were injured.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The battle against hundreds of wildfires continues, as almost every jurisdiction in Canada remains under either heat or air quality warnings from the federal government. The day after what was supposed to be national Clean Air Day, dozens of alerts remain in place for unseasonable heat or smoky air quality.
Norwegian officials said the smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped parts of the U.S. and Canada in a thick haze is expected to pour into Norway on Thursday.
Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
The man who was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a house party in Brentwood more than nine years ago is seeking more freedoms.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
Irving Oil says it’s undertaking a “strategic review” with an eye to its future. In a release Wednesday, the company says it’s looking at a number of options, including the sale of its assets.
Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass said he's "in a better place moving forward" after speaking with Pride Toronto's executive director in the wake of his social media post that supported anti-2SLGBTQ+ boycotts.
An Ontario man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, after she was gunned down at the wheel of her car in Montreal last month.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The man in the spotlight during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Dr. Horacio Arruda, has been appointed assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
Romance scams have always been around, but they got worse during the pandemic, and fraudsters continue to use social media and dating sites to find victims.
Just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, police say a man entered a business on Dundas Street near Adelaide Street and once inside, tried to steal things and made threats towards employees while holding a knife.
According to CTV News London’s Meteorologist Julie Atchison, a large area of low pressure over the Canadian Maritimes and a blocking ridge over central North America is allowing a steady flow of northerly air to usher in smoke from forest fires in Northern Ontario and Quebec.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The closure of Fort Gibraltar following the collapse of an elevated walkway that sent 16 students and one teacher to hospital has left some couples scrambling to find a place to get married.
There's high levels of air pollution in Waterloo region and Wellington County as smoke plumes from wildfires burning in Quebec and northeastern Ontario continue to blow into the region, Environment Canada says.
Kitchener is hosting a series of watch parties to cheer on basketball star Jamal Murray as his Denver Nuggets take on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Calgary city council has reconsidered its decision to vote against recommendations made by an expert panel to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Police say a man on a mobility scooter has life-altering injuries after he was struck by a vehicle in a northeast Calgary intersection on Wednesday evening.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
Drivers are being asked to find another way or prepare for delays on the Henday this weekend, because crews need to close a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.
The Archdiocese of Edmonton will spend $3.2 million on reconciliation initiatives with First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in the Alberta capital region.
A human-caused wildfire on the Lower Mainland has grown to an estimated 800 hectares and continues to burn out of control Wednesday, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Rental housing advocates interrupted an announcement by B.C.'s housing minister in Vancouver Wednesday morning to object to the provincial government's response to the affordability crisis.
Flooded underpasses have been a common occurrence in Regina this spring with several thunderstorms dumping heavy rain on the city, but Mayor Sandra Masters says several solutions are in the works to help prevent further flooding.
Regina city council has asked its administration to pursue permission from the Saskatchewan Municipal Board (SMB) to increase its debt limit to $780 million.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
Neko Sparks attends the Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Canadian Tire Centre. April 1, 2023. (Supplied)
