The Edmonton Oilers have hired Stan Bowman as the team’s new general manager and executive vice-president of hockey operations.
“I am excited and pleased to be welcoming Stan to the Edmonton Oilers,” Jeff Jackson, Oilers CEO of hockey operations, said in a news release Wednesday morning.
“I believe his vast experience and proven success in this role, together with the important work he has done in his time away from the game, fits our goal of being best in class when it comes to all facets of our organization. Through our many conversations, we share a common vision of where we are as a team and what is required to achieve another Stanley Cup title.”
Bowman, 51, resigned as the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2021 following the release of the findings of an investigation into allegations that an assistant coach with the team sexually assaulted a player in 2010.
Bowman was banned by the NHL, along with coach Joel Quenneville and executive Al MacIsaac.
Former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach alleged he was assaulted by the club’s then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup championship season and that the team mishandled the case.
An investigation commissioned by the Blackhawks concluded the club provided an inadequate response to the allegations. Quenneville later resigned as Florida Panthers coach, while Bowman and MacIsaac left their positions with Chicago.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reinstated the three on July 1 of this year.
In a statement, the league said all three had “made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse.”
At a media availability Wednesday morning, Bowman said he was thankful to the NHL for giving him a second chance.
“I know how important it is that I be a true leader and that’s something that I’m excited about,” he said. “This is a tremendous opportunity and it’s one that I’m excited to be part of.
“My response was inadequate back in 2010. I didn’t handle things properly. I should have done more and that’s something I regret and it’s something I’ve had a chance to reflect on and try to learn from.”
Bowman said over the last few years, he’s worked with former NHL player and sexual assault survivor Sheldon Kennedy, as well as Beach himself, to reflect upon and learn from his mistakes and make improvements.
“In that process, I feel like I’ve learned some things that I didn’t know and I’ve learned ways I could do a better job in the future. And I can tell you without a doubt that those things will never happen on my watch again,” Bowman said.
He added that he spoke with Beach on Tuesday night, to give him a heads-up about Wednesday’s announcement.
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“We had a nice conversation. We talked for about 15 minutes. I don’t want to share the details of it, but I will say it was a very encouraging conversation.”
Bowman said he knows the work isn’t done.
“I want to try to make this a better place for the sport,” Bowman said.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from Sheldon… is the negative power of silence and not taking a bigger role. And I think that’s what, when I look back on it, that’s what I reflect on is, you don’t want to assume other people are doing things. You want to take an active role and make sure that things happen that are supposed to happen.”
Kennedy was at Wednesday’s media availability. He recently co-founded Respect Group, an organization focused on the prevention of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.
Kennedy wrote an op-ed about the work he’s done with Bowman, and said Wednesday he believes Bowman has acknowledged his wrongdoings and is committed to learning.
“We’re not talking about me and Stan talking for an hour or two. He was working with us basically on a full-time basis for six months. So he was working with our team and on our team,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy believes the Oilers have hired someone who can now help drive change within the hockey culture.
“I believe that they’ve got somebody that is very knowledgeable about very sensitive, important issues that have huge impact if they’re not dealt with properly, and I think that’s an asset. And I believe that Stan’s a guy that will carry that conversation, not just within the Oilers organization but outside the Oilers organization and throughout the hockey ecosystem and beyond,” Kennedy said.
“When I talked to Stan I said, ‘You’re not going to bluff your way through this.’ People don’t buy that stuff anymore. You’re going to have to walk the walk. You’re going to have to show people. And to me, this isn’t an end game. He has to continually learn to be better in this space and lead by example.”
Jackson said he spent a number of weeks interviewing other candidates, but kept coming back to Bowman. Jackson said he spoke with Kennedy a couple of weeks ago about Bowman, and was given a “full endorsement” of the work he’s done with Kennedy’s organization.
“Let me be very clear. What happened to Kyle Beach in 2010 was wrong, was horrible. It wasn’t handled properly at the time,” Jackson said.
“I think Stan has acknowledged and taken full responsibility for the inadequate response. But I also know that he’s spent a great deal of time in the two and a half years since then to educate himself, to try to learn. He’s done a lot of work with Sheldon Kennedy, who is one of the foremost experts in the field of abuse, sexual and otherwise.
“We wouldn’t have made this hire without knowing Stan had done all that work.”
The CEO of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) said she believes people can learn from their mistakes, but added “the proof will be in the pudding.”
“People do deserve a second chance, but the demonstration of their remorse and accountability will be in their actions and not in their words,” Mary Jane James said.
“It’s easy to spout out words about what you’ve learned and about what you’ll do going forward, but what I want to see – and I think what our community wants to see – is effective change.”
James said Bowman and the Oilers need to demonstrate that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.
“The jury is out. I am still quite leery about it, but I’m willing to give the Oilers the benefit of the doubt that they did their due diligence and that they believe that Mr. Bowman has taken accountability for his actions, his part in the debacle that took place.”
With a more than year-long wait-list at the SACE, James encourages the Oilers to publicly show their support for the work done at the centre.
“They had a tremendous run in the well-loved playoffs. I, along with thousands and thousands of others, was watching it. I’m quite certain there was a lot of profit made there. Maybe they could put their money behind their words.”
In the hours since announcing the hire, a petition was launched to try to keep Bowman out of the Oilers’ organization. By 2 p.m., the petition had garnered more than 3,500 signatures.
Bowman and Jackson both responded to the fan backlash.
“It’s very difficult to try to talk people into things,” Bowman said. “So I’m not going to try to make an argument on why they should feel a certain way. The fans… I respect the way that they feel. What I would say is, it’s going to be my job to try to win them over and I think the goal is to try to do it through your actions as opposed to what you’re saying. So I understand where they’re coming from and I want to try to earn their respect over time.”
“I have to respect the fans’ opinions,” Jackson said. “I think that Stan’s work over the next few years here will dictate how they respond. I think, give him a chance… I’m not worried about it. My job is to try to make an elite organization, have people that are collaborative and progressive and good people and I think Stan is all of those things.”
The Oilers’ search for a new GM came after the team announced in late June it would not extend the contract of former GM Ken Holland.
Holland had been in the role since May 2019.
Bowman is the team’s 11th general manager. He spent 20 seasons with the Blackhawks, including 12 in the GM role.
Bowman won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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