Ryan Reynolds will become 'frothy, rabies-infused' Sens fan if he's part of successful bid

Ryan Reynolds says if he is part of a successful bid to buy the Ottawa Senators his fandom for the team will reach unexpected heights.

The actor and business owner was speaking with Derek Monias, the student chief at Dennis Franklin Cromarty school in Thunder Bay, Ont., when he made the comments.

The school's radio club — which has a partnership with CBC Thunder Bay — published the conversation on YouTube Wednesday.

"If we progress with the Ottawa Senators I will be a frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen," he said.

"There's not too much I can say about that now, but I have a real connection to Ottawa, to the community of Ottawa."

Reynolds said he sees the potential in the franchise to grow beyond provincial and even national borders.

"I think that the Ottawa Senators as an organization can explode, not just within its own community within Canada, but also globally and that's something I'm deeply interested in," he said.

"We'll see where it shakes out."

He also said he's learned a lot about how the NHL works behind the scenes

"The journey's also been really interesting," he said.

And it seems for Reynolds, the journey is as important as the destination.

Sports and storytelling

Reynolds — who owns a gin distillery, telecom company and Welsh soccer team — said the common thread for his interests goes beyond the surface.

"I actually would be so bold as to say that there's a kind of a connective tissue, or a through-line, between all of these things. And it's that I love storytelling," he said.

"It's always about the story. You don't know where it's going or what it's going to be, but if you're listening and you have a pretty open mind and an open heart as you're doing it, you can uncover some pretty spectacular moments."

What has drawn him to sports specifically are the stories of athletes, fighting through adversity at the highest levels of their sport.

But it goes beyond individuals for him.

"I love that part of sports — and I think that's why I've gotten involved with sports ownership — because I love telling, not just the story of the team, but I like telling the story of the community around that team," he said.

"More often than not the two are inextricably linked."