Vancouver Canucks President and CEO Chris Zimmerman has resigned from his position with the club, citing family reasons as the decision to step down.
''I have made the very difficult decision to resign my position with Canucks Sports & Entertainment and re-locate my family back to the eastern United States,'' said Zimmerman. ''These past three years have been a tremendous personal and professional experience for me and I have loved working and living in the greatest hockey city in the world.''
General Manager and Alternate Governor, Mike Gillis was named the President of Canucks Sports & Entertainment. Gillis, in partnership with Chief Operating Officer, Victor de Bonis will be responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company including broadcast, marketing, sponsorship and ticket sales, finance, human resources and arena operations.
''On behalf of my family and the entire Canucks Sports & Entertainment staff, I would like to thank Chris for his years of leadership with our organization,'' said Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. ''Chris' passion for our business, our hockey team and our city will be missed. We wish him and his family the very best in the future. We are very confident that with the strong leadership of Mike Gillis, Victor de Bonis and our Senior Leadership Team, our business will continue to be successful both on the ice and in the community.''
Zimmerman was introduced as the Canucks' boss in the fall of 2006, replacing Stan McCammon a year after McCammon stepped down from the position. Before joining the Canucks, Zimmerman served as President and CEO of Nike Bauer Hockey for three years.
Gillis was named the team's General Manager in April of 2008 and in his role he is responsible for the strategic leadership of the Hockey Operations Department.
De Bonis has been a member of Canucks Sports & Entertainment for 15 years and his experience spans twenty years in the sports and entertainment and financial industries.