Stan Bowman was hired as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old replaces Ken Holland, whose five-year contract expired July 1. The Oilers qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season under Holland, who was named GM and president of hockey operations on May 7, 2019. Edmonton (49-27-6) finished second in the Pacific Division last season before reaching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
“This is a tremendous opportunity and it’s one that I’m excited to be a part of,” Bowman said. “The guy to my left here (Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson) did a tremendous job this summer; he and his staff should be commended for the acquisitions and the additions to this team. It was already a strong group, and I think it’s even stronger now.
“The chance to work with some special players, there is some generational talent on this team that I’ve had a chance to work with great players in the past and I’m so excited for what’s to come.”
Jackson said on June 27 he was not interested in taking on the GM role permanently and would begin the process of interviewing candidates immediately.
“Stan and I share a vision of about how to put together a team on the ice and also try to be an elite organization in the front office, forward thinking and progressive; we spent a lot of time talking about that and I feel very comfortable that our visions are aligned in that regard,” Jackson said.
The former Chicago Blackhawks GM was reinstated by the NHL on July 1 after what the League said was “as a result of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach had been assaulted by the team’s video coach.”
Bowman was Blackhawks GM in 2010 and resigned as Chicago’s president of hockey operations and GM on Oct. 27, 2021. Al MacIsaac, who was assistant GM in 2010, was fired the same day.
“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 that I’ve had a chance to reflect on and try to learn from,” Bowman said.
“We want to try to make this a better place, make the sport better, and I think we can all handle situations better and the only way to do that is to learn from the mistakes that were made and try to improve. I’m committed to that, I’m excited for what’s ahead and I’m thankful to the NHL and (Commissioner) Gary Bettman for giving me a second chance and particular, I’m grateful for the Oilers for giving me this opportunity. I know how important it is that I be a true leader, and that’s something I’m excited about and look forward to.”
Chicago won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015) and went 493-310-109 under Bowman during his time as GM (2009-21).
While teams were free to discuss potential employment opportunities with Bowman on July 1, they were not permitted to enter into new employment relationships with Bowman, MacIsaac or former coach Joel Quenneville, who were also suspended, until July 10.
“While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership,” the NHL said in a statement on July 1. “Moreover, each has 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.
“The League expects that they will continue this commitment in any future capacity with the NHL and/or one of our Clubs.”
Shortly after his departure from Chicago, Bowman reached out to Sheldon Kennedy and began working with his Respect Group to combat all forms of abuse in hockey. Kennedy was in Edmonton on Wednesday to show his support for Bowman.
“It was his acknowledging his wrongdoings, and to me that was huge,” Kennedy said. “He was sincere about that. He wasn’t just out there talking the talk trying to get back into the game. When I talked to Stan, he didn’t know if he was going to get back in the game. He was working with us basically on a full-time basis for about six months.”
Jackson said he’s confident Bowman has learned from the past and wouldn’t have moved forward in the hiring process if that wasn’t the case.
“Let me be very clear, what happened to Kyle Beach in 2010 was wrong, it 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 he spent a great deal of time in the two-and-half years since then, to educate himself, to try to learn and he’s done a lot of work with Sheldon Kennedy, who is one of foremost experts in the field of abuse, sexual and otherwise, and came out last week with his op-ed supporting Stan.
“Part of my process was talking to Sheldon, because I know he had done a lot of work with Stan over the years and when I talked to Sheldon a couple of weeks ago, he gave a full endorsement of Stan’s work, the fact that he’s sure he’s learned from his mistakes, and that was a big part of the decision for me. We wouldn’t have made this hire without knowing that Stan had done all that work.”
NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report
