Snoop Dogg in 2008. Photo by ceedub13 via Wikimedia Commons.
Snoop Dogg could soon become part owner of an NHL team. The rapper and entrepreneur is part of a group led by the Los Angeles-based businessman Neko Sparks seeking to purchase the franchise, according to a report in The Athletic. The team was put up for sale after the death of owner Eugene Melnyk in 2022; new bids for the team are due in two weeks.
Sparks is reportedly hoping to assemble the most diverse ownership of any team in the NHL, and is prepared for a bidding war that could exceed $1 billion. Sources speaking with the publication claim that Snoop’s involvement is anything but passive. “He’s passionately involved,” one person said. “He’s coming up with ideas. And he’s legitimately excited. He wants this team.”
If the Sparks group succeed in their bid, it is expected that Snoop will harness his celebrity to open the game of hockey up to communities that are not exposed to the sport. “He’s passionate about trying to make this game affordable for visible minorities and kids in low-income areas who haven’t been able to play hockey in the past,” a source told The Athletic. “He wants to be community oriented.”
Part ownership of the Senators would be far from Snoop’s first collaboration with professional hockey. He has previously provided commentary at Los Angeles Kings games and teamed up with NHL.com for a weekly hockey series.
The FADER has reached out to Snoop Dogg’s representative for more information.
