Edmonton Oilers Name Stan Bowman Their New GM
The Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman as their new GM and executive VP of hockey operations two weeks after he became eligible to work with an NHL team again.
The Edmonton Oilers have selected Stan Bowman as their new GM and executive vice-president of hockey operations.
Bowman, 51, replaces Ken Holland as GM after the latter mutually agreed with the Oilers to part ways once his contract expired.
Bowman had been ineligible to work with an NHL team from October 2021, when he resigned from his position as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, to July 10 of this year, when the NHL reinstated him, Al MacIsaac and Joel Quenneville. An independent investigation in 2021 determined the three did not respond adequately to allegations that the team's former video coach sexually assaulted forward Kyle Beach during the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2010.
The Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with Bowman as GM.
“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. “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, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman, logged a 493-315-110 record while managing the Blackhawks for 12 full seasons and six games into the 2021-22 campaign. He also has a 71-49 record in the nine playoff appearances the team made under Bowman.
After Bowman stepped down from Chicago, he volunteered with the Respect Group to develop a curriculum for workshops that educate teams and players on how to prevent, identify and address bullying and harassment, according to group co-founder Sheldon Kennedy.
Kennedy also said he and Bowman spoke almost daily after his contract termination about the "seriousness of sexual abuse from the victim's perspective," and he was struck by Bowman's care and concern for Beach.
With that, Jackson and the Oilers decided to give Bowman the GM job over their other candidates as the team comes off a Stanley Cup final appearance.
Edmonton currently has two RFAs – Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg – and is about $300,000 over the salary cap, according to PuckPedia.