Less than two months after hiring Jim Little to help rebuild the Ottawa Senators’ business off the ice, the team announced this morning that the 55-year-old has been “released from his duties as chief executive officer,” effective immediately.
The club said the decision was made as a result of conduct inconsistent with the core values of the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey League.
The Senators have not released details of incidents or circumstances leading to their decision, but a source with knowledge of the situation told Postmedia the Senators have been in close contact with the NHL regarding Little’s release, and how it relates to recent policy changes within the league.
Little said his dismissal was sparked by a heated argument he had last month with the one person higher than him on the Senators’ roster: Melnyk.
“The statement made today by the team contained some language that deserves some clarification,” he said in a statement. “On Valentine’s Day, the owner and I had a personal disagreement over the approach that I had been pursuing. I am a strong-willed person and the disagreement included me using some very strong language with him over the phone, including swearing, which he did not appreciate and for which I later apologized.”
“It was these events, to my knowledge, which led to my dismissal. Any other inference from the statement is wrong,“ Little said. He also wished the team well.
A source with knowledge of the situation from the Senators’ perspective did not deny the two men had a recent face off, but said that dispute was not the sole reason for the dismissal or the league’s involvement.
“It was a pattern of behaviour, not just one incident, among other things,” the source said.
FILE: Jim Little.
Jean Levac /
Postmedia News
At the conclusion of the GM meetings in Florida on Wednesday, Bettman would not say why exactly the Ottawa Senators fired Little. But the NHL commissioner made clear that it wasn’t for the type of inappropriate conduct that prompted the league into unveiling a four-point plan in December to combat verbal, physical and emotional abuse.
“It’s not what you think. Or what’s been suggested,” Bettman said. “It relates more to — while I generally don’t normally comment on club personnel decisions, it’s not one of the things we had been discussing at the board meetings in December.
“It has to do more with internal operations. If you want more, you have to talk to the Senators.”
When asked if he is growing tired of the constant barrage of negative news coming out of Ottawa, Bettman seemed unfazed.
“Eugene Melnyk has been an owner in good standard for 15 years at least — maybe 20 — and teams sometimes go through cycles for a variety of reasons,” he said. “But I am not one who overreacts or is concerned when a team’s performance is less than what the people of that community would like to see.
“I know that Eugene is passionate about that team, passionate about the game. And it wasn’t that long ago that the team was a game away from the Stanley Cup final. In sports, it’s really easy to criticize and second-guess.”
Before being hired by the Senators, Little had left Shaw Communications, a Calgary-based telecommunications company, where he was executive vice president and chief marketing and culture officer.
Previously he held senior executive roles at Royal Bank of Canada, Bell Canada, and Bombardier Aerospace.
Senior management has assumed the duties of the CEO and an executive search firm has already begun work on identifying appropriate candidates. A new CEO is expected to be announced in a few weeks.
Asked about the decision following the club’s skate at the Canadian Tire Centre Wednsday, Coach D.J. Smith and the players were tight-lipped.
“I don’t know a whole lot about that side,” said alternate captain Thomas Chabot. “It’s the business side. I don’t think I really have anything to say about it to be honest.
“We’re players, all we have to do is focus on what we do on the ice and the business side of things is out of our hands. All we do is go out there for practice, go out there for games and show up and be professionals the best we can every day.”
Smith noted this wasn’t area he’s consulted on.
“I just deal with the hockey side,” said Smith. “My boss is (GM) Pierre (Dorion) and I just deal with him so I’ll let him answer on that. I didn’t deal with (Little) at all.”
He isn’t concerned with off-ice issues affecting the team’s performance.
“The players deal with myself and Pierre on a daily basis and that’s who they deal with,” Smith said. “We worry about our team inside that room and I think the guys are pretty good at just doing their job.”
— With files from Adrian Humphreys, Michael Traikos and Bruce Garrioch
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — No. 1 Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe while regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
It will be the first career start for Manning, a second year freshman. He relieved Ewers in the second quarter last week against UTSA, and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another in a 56-7 Texas victory.
Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ewers missed several games over the previous two seasons with shoulder and sternum injuries.
The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time since 2008 and Saturday’s matchup with the Warhawks is Texas’ last game before the program starts its first SEC schedule against Mississippi State on Sept. 28.
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