Oilers Hire Stan Bowman As GM Just Three Weeks After Reinstatement
Stan Bowman spent two decades with the Chicago Blackhawks and was one of the architects of the team's three-Stanley Cup run through the early 2010s.
However, he's been on the proverbial beach since he resigned from the team in 2021 and was subsequently banned from the NHL as part of the fallout from revelations that the organization had not properly handled allegations of sexual assault made by former player Kyle Beach against the team's former video coach Brad Aldrich.
Bowman along with ex-Blackhawks executive Al MacIsaac and former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville — both of whom received similar bans with the latter resigning as head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2021 — were all reinstated by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on July 1.
From there, there were rumblings that Bowman was on the shortlist to replace Ken Holland as the GM of the Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers, and on Wednesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that it was a done deal.
Then confirmed by the team:
At that introductory press conference, there was inevitably going to be a lot of talk about the Blackhawks scandal, something Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson was sure to say is not being overlooked by the team hiring Bowman.
"Let me be very clear: What happened to Kyle Beach in 2010 was wrong, was horrible and wasn't handled properly at the time," Jackson, Oilers CEO of hockey operations, 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 and try to learn."
Former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has been hired by the Edmonton Oilers three weeks after being reinstated into the league. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Bowman took responsibility for his actions — or lack thereof — that led to his two and a half year ban.
"I can tell you in this room and everyone watching, as well as something I've said directly to Kyle Beach, that my response was inadequate back in 2010. I didn't handle things properly. I should have done more. 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.
He also revealed that before news broke that he had been hired by the Oilers he spoke to Beach and had also done so several other times since his exit from the Blackhawks.
This is no doubt a controversial hiring, but it seems as though Bowman has learned from his mistakes.
As for the Oilers, it's a smart hire, seeing as Bowman's proven he can put together a Cup-winning team. However, he could face some tricky situations in the years to come as the team's two star players — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — are both closing in on the ends of their respective deals.