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“An executive search firm has already begun work on identifying appropriate candidates,” the team’s statement said.

The Senators have not released details of incidents or circumstances leading to their decision.

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.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman declined to detail why Little was dismissed by the Senators so soon into his mandate. He did tell reporters it wasn’t for the type of inappropriate conduct that prompted the league into unveiling policies to combat verbal, physical and emotional abuse.