The writing was on the wall this past December when the Ottawa Senators’ website indicated the organization was accepting applications for their chief financial officer position, but today it became official: Senators CFO Erin Crowe is leaving the organization.
The Ottawa Citizen‘s Wayne Scanlan, who has been killing it lately breaking news (ie. Bryan Murray’s decision to likely step down at the conclusion of this season and pick his successor), broke the news this afternoon.
Crowe had served as the team’s CFO since 2003. She will also be stepping down from her executive vice-president and alternate governor titles that she has held since 2009.
Scanlan reached out to Crowe who declined comment until the Senators make an official announcement, but news of her departure was rippling through the interwebs where a number of her former colleagues were candidly discussing her contributions and importance to the organization.
@PxPOttawa She is. Of the highest order. A nice person, too.
— Rob Brodie (@Post_Brodie) January 26, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI won’t even pretend to know what kind of presence or influence Crowe had within the organization, but I’ll leave that to former executive vice-president of ticketing Paul Beirne.
A huge loss for the Sens – Erin is the balance to Euge RT @Citizenkwarren: CFO Crowe leaving Senators after 18 years http://t.co/JQg75tDeMs — Paul Beirne (@Paulbeirne) January 26, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSounds reassuring.
No successor for the CFO position has been named, but Crowe’s vacant alternate governor role has already been filled.
In a news release five days ago, the club announced that Ken Villazor would be stepping into the role. Villazor was dubbed by Scanlan as “Melnyk’s right-hand man” and a quick glimpse of his resume on the Senators’ press release will let you know why.
From the release:
Villazor has worked with Senators Sports & Entertainment since August 2003 serving principally as an advisor to team Owner and Chairman, Eugene Melnyk. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, the second largest charity in the nation’s capital.
“For more than a decade, Ken has worked closely with the Ottawa Senators and our executive team on a wide range of business priorities and opportunities,” said team owner Eugene Melnyk. “He’s deeply committed to the success of our organization and our engagement in the community and I look forward to his continued work with both our hockey club and Foundation.”
Villazor has more than 20 years of experience working in a wide range of areas including communications, corporate affairs, public relations, business development, government relations, philanthropy and public policy. He has held numerous senior positions in the biopharmaceutical industry including with SmithKline Beecham, GlaxoSmithKline and Biovail Corporation as well as with the industry’s national trade association based in Ottawa.
At a time when the Senators are reportedly swimming in debt, the Canadian dollar is struggling, the league’s lawyers bungled (at least temporarily) its $2-billion line of credit so Canadian teams can’t take advantage of the league’s low-interest credit facility, and when the Senators are openly pursuing the development of a new arena at LeBreton Flats, it’s kind of disheartening to learn that someone so important to the Senators’ financial picture is stepping away at such a critical juncture.
So yeah, not all of Ottawa’s losses this season are happening on the ice.
Other News and Notes:
– This. 1,000 times, this.
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– According to Darren Dreger (@darrendreger), the Senators could put Colin Greening on waivers tomorrow “unless a trade for Greening surfaces quickly.”
– Marc Methot did not skate with the Senators at practice because of food poisoning or flu-like symptoms. All-Star Game attendees, Mike Hoffman and Bobby Ryan, also did not skate today.
– Lyle Richardson postulates for Bleacher Report that Zack Kassian and Antoine Vermette could be fits for the Senators.
– Erik Karlsson was named as the league’s second ‘Star of the Week‘.
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