The Edmonton Oilers named Stan Bowman their new General Manager on Wednesday morning.
EDMONTON -- Stan Bowman, welcome to the hot seat.
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The Edmonton Oilers announced the hiring of Bowman earlier this morning. Bowman was named the General Manager and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
Bowman spent 12 years as a GM for the Chicago Blackhawks. He won three Stanley Cups during his tenure there.
If Bowman has "done the work" behind the scenes to be a better person and respond more seriously to sexual assault accusations, that's one thing. It's another thing entirely to award that person with the most coveted GM position in the NHL.
Bowman was reinstated to work in the NHL on July 1st. He had resigned from his GM position with the Blackhawks following an investigation involving Kyle Beach's sexual assault allegations.
People should be given second chances. But that should not come in the form of an incredibly high-profile and desirable position, such as GM of the Oilers. To work in the NHL is a privilege, not something you can be handed because you "did some work."
To be fair, Bowman said all of the right things at his introductory press conference. Calling Beach to make amends is a noble cause. Working on initiatives to eliminate abuse of all kinds from hockey is a step in the right direction. The work he has done impressed both Beach and Sheldon Kennedy.
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Typically a GM faces the most pressure when they are near the end of their tenure. Unfortunately for Bowman, that is not the case. He is joining the Oilers with his feet already in the fire, and the pressure turned up all the way to 11.
With the tremendous summer that Jeff Jackson has had, this move is seen as a slap in the face of most fans. The day that Bowman was reinstated, Oilers fans launched a petition to attempt to sway the Oilers away from this very outcome.
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Bowman has a huge hill too climb to win over the Oilers faithful. Time will tell just how much he's learned.
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