Jim Little removed from office as CEO of the Ottawa Senators after less than 2 months

After less than two months, the Ottawa Senators launched a new search for a new CEO.

On Wednesday, the teams' board of governors announced that Jim Little had been removed from office as president and chief executive due to conduct contrary to the core values ​​of the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey League. .

His term began on January 10. Previously, he was Executive Vice President and Director of Marketing and Culture at Shaw Communications, a Calgary-based telecommunications company. His curriculum vitae also includes senior executive positions at Royal Bank of Canada, Bell Canada and Bombardier Aerospace.

Extensive research has been done to find the right leader to guide the organization over the next decade, said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk when The hiring has been announced in January. The wealth of experience and new perspective of Jims will strengthen the company's non-business success, ushering in a new era for our club and our fans.

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Earlier this season, following allegations of misconduct by coaches, including racist comments by Bill Peters that led to his resignation from the Calgary Flames, the NHL announced that it would be put in place measures to help fight racism and bullying at all organizational levels.

Wednesday the commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters gathered at meetings of league general managers in Boca Raton, Florida, when the dismissal of Littles was due to a violation of fundamental values, that is not what you think.

In general, I don't comment on club staff decisions, it has to do with internal operations. he added.

For now, senior management has assumed the role of CEO, said the senators. An executive search firm has started to identify suitable candidates and the team plans to fill the position in a few weeks.

The Senators rank 29th in the NHL standings with a record of 23-32-12 on Wednesday and are on track to lead a third straight season without a playoff appearance. The club also fell to last place in the NHL, by ESPN, averaging 12,595 fans per home game, nearly 2,000 fans last season.

During the 2016-2017 season, the Senators' average number of spectators in the regular season was 16,744 and the club had an impressive playoff streak, reaching the seventh game in the Eastern Conference finals. Since then, the team has processed a long list of controversies both on the ice and off the ice and is not yet close to finalizing a deal for its long-sought-after downtown arena.

Including Little, the club has also separated from five senior executives since the 2016-17 season.

In January 2017, Melnyk replaced Cyril Leeder, who had been a member of the club since the first expansion franchise was awarded in 1990, with former Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment chief operating officer Tom Anselmi.

It was hoped that Anselmi could spearhead the LeBreton Flats downtown arena project, but he announced his departure from the club in February 2018, a year before the LeBreton Flats project was completed. officially declared dead.

COO Nicolas Ruszkowski also lasted only one season, leaving the team in May 2019. Aimee Deziels also held the position of Marketing Director would have lasted a year after he was hired August 2018.

Despite lingering franchise challenges, Bettman stood behind Melnyk on Wednesday.

Teams sometimes go through cycles for a variety of reasons, but I'm not one of those who overreact or worry when a team's performance is below what people in this community would like to see. , did he declare.

I know Eugene is passionate about the game, passionate about the team. And not so long ago, the team was one game away from the Stanley Cup final. It's really easy to criticize and guess, and it's more difficult to do. From time to time, a team goes through this type of cycle.