The Ottawa Senators have been without a CEO to run the business side of the operation since Tom Anselmi walked away from the organization in 2018, but today have hired a new leader. Jim Little, most recently an executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Shaw Communications, has been hired as CEO of Senators Sports and Entertainment. Owner Eugene Melnyk released a statement on the hiring:
We are pleased to have Jim joining our executive team during this exciting period of growth for Senators Sports and Entertainment. As part of our long-term strategy to redevelop and rebuild the Ottawa Senators hockey club, an extensive search was conducted to find the right leader to guide the organization into the next decade. Jim’s appointment is an important step towards achieving our goals and building on the positive impact the hockey club has on the community. As our planned rebuild of the Senators continues to develop on the ice, Jim’s wealth of experience and fresh perspective will strengthen the company’s off-ice success, ushering in a new era for our club and fans.
As Melnyk notes, the Senators’ rebuild is continuing on the ice after a few years of absolute chaos in the organization. Star players were traded away, front office members appeared in court, public social media wars were waged between teammates and their families, all while the team struggled to string together even the smallest winning streak on the ice. While Little will obviously not be able to control all of that, his hiring is another step in the right direction to getting the Senators back to stability.
The team sits 16-22-5 through the first half of the season, but have lost five consecutive games.
Eugene probably going to pay him 1/3rd what other CEOs get and wonder why they’re still failing in a few years
I hope that the Sens are finally trending in the right direction.
Melnyk should conduct a forensic investigation into how his own mental illness has damaged his NHL franchise.