Former Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is the Edmonton Oilers’ new general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations, the team announced Wednesday morning.
“With his experience as a general manager and success in Chicago, having won three cups during his tenure there, having gone through and learned a lot about himself and about the need to try to make a difference in hockey culture, I just kept coming back to: He was the guy,” Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said later during a press conference in Edmonton.
Bowman, who resigned in Chicago in 2021 after an investigation into the team’s handling of sexual assault allegations against video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010, was only reinstated by the National Hockey League on July 1 and eligible to sign with teams on July 10.
He told reporters he was honoured “to be able to restart” his hockey career with such an opportunity as working with a Stanley Cup-contending team and stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
“I’ve learned some things I didn’t know and I’ve learned ways that 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. I’m looking forward to a chance to make a difference in the organization.”
Kennedy backs Bowman
Since resigning in Chicago, Bowman has been working with ex-NHLer Sheldon Kennedy on a sports team culture program which saw him work “basically full time” for six months with Kennedy’s organization, Respect Group. Kennedy has dedicated his post-NHL career to child sexual abuse education and advocacy. He went public as a victim of sexual abuse by a coach in the 90s.
Last week, amid speculation that Oilers management was talking to Bowman,
He attended the Oilers’ press conference on Wednesday to reiterate his confidence in Bowman’s commitment to change.
“I believe (the Oilers have) 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.
Jackson called Sheldon’s endorsement integral to his decision to sign Bowman.
Jackson and Bowman also told media they had spoken to and had “encouraging” conversations with Kyle Beach, the only named player of two who came forward as victims in the Blackhawks scandal.
The identity and story of the second victim, a high schooler who was assaulted by Aldrich after he left the Blackhawks in 2010, has not been made public, as he signed a non-disclosure agreement when settling a lawsuit with the team.
When asked if they had also tried to speak to the second victim, Bowman did not say and Jackson said he did not know who the person is.
