The Ottawa Senators have dismissed Chief Executive Office Jim Little on Wednesday. News of the dismissal came via a team statement
BREAKING | The Ottawa Senators have fired their new CEO for "conduct inconsistent with the core values of the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey League" https://t.co/ulnP3moCrP
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) March 4, 2020
Jim Little Out as Senators CEO
Little was only on the job for 54 days before being let go by the team. The statement read “the decision was made as a result of conduct inconsistent with the core values of the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey League.” It is effective immediately. The Senators have not released details of incidents or circumstances leading to their decision.
The Senators said they’ve already begun the search for Little’s replacement. Senior staff are taking care of his duties in the meantime.
Little came over from Shaw Communications to help the club with the business side of the Senators. His duties included marketing and community engagement. Little also worked as an executive with Royal Bank, Bell Canada, and Bombardier.
What it Means
It’s another black eye for an organization that’s had plenty of them the last few years. Ownership issues, players constantly being moved and trouble finding a new arena has haunted the franchise for the last few seasons. This is just another issue to add onto the pile of pain.
Many celebrated the hiring at first because of his business background and owner Eugene Melnyk praised Little by saying he was “part of our long-term strategy to redevelop and rebuild,” and that he will be “ushering in a new era for our club and fans.”
Much like a lot of the team’s plans, Ottawa will have to go back to square one to find a new CEO. The Senators are last in NHL attendance this season, averaging just over 11,700 fans per home game, according to numbers compiled by ESPN. These were the numbers that were announced prior to Little’s hiring in January.
