Oilers organization sends message to fans protesting Bowman hiring

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Liam McCormick
July 27, 2024 (12:11)

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The Edmonton Oilers made a controversial hire with Stan Bowman as their General Manager, which has led to significant fan protest and the team making a new statement.

Multiple Oilers fans on Reddit have written letters to ownership with concerns about the hire, and have received the response below:

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your feedback. We understand and appreciate your input.

The decision to hire Stan Bowman as the Oilers General Manager was made after extensive due diligence into the 2010 Kyle Beach case and the subsequent work by Stan over the years to make amends and support Kyle�while also working with Sheldon Kennedy's Respect Group to help make positive change. In regards to the Kyle Beach incident in 2010, Stan has acknowledged that trusting his superior to handle the situation as promised was not acceptable. Stan has taken full responsibility for his inadequate response.

The message goes into more detail about the efforts Bowman has taken to learn from his awful inaction in the Blackhawks scandal. He has since built a relationship with the abuse survivor and former player Kyle Beach, as well as working with Sheldon Kennedy and the Respect Group. Both Beach and Kennedy have endorsed Bowman's hiring with the Oilers.

When asked specifically about fan concerns with hiring Bowman, Oilers President Jeff Jackson said that the new GM has truly changed, and his new education on these valuable topics will make the Oilers a more progressive and alert organization.

Even considering all this, even the endorsement of Kyle Beach, many fans still just can not accept giving Bowman a second chance in this instance. His inaction to act on claims of abuse within his organization is more than just a mistake - it's allowing that to take place.

The lack of action led the abuser to more victims later in life, instead of being caught and facing justice earlier. To walk right back into the NHL to be the GM of the top team in the league, after such a brutal scandal, is truly hard to accept. Thousands of fans have cancelled subscriptions to Oilers services, and signed a petition to get rid of Bowman already.

This may take significant joy out of supporting the Oilers organization for many fans, but cheering for the players on the ice shouldn't change. This team has come so far and is just reaching their peak right now, and for their General Manager to serve as such a distraction at this point is just disappointing.