Edmonton Oilers announce Stan Bowman as General Manager

Stan Bowman joined the Blackhawks in 2001, and became General Manager of the team in 2009. Under his tenure, the Blackhawks went on to win three Stanley Cups.

In 2021, Bowman stepped down and was subsequently banned from the NHL for his failure to act on claims of abuse from former player Kyle Beach. Instead, Bowman and the Blackhawks let the abuser Brad Aldrich walk away with a positive recommendation, who then went on to victimize more young hockey players. It was a failure of the highest degree from Stan Bowman, a cover up of a crime to not distract from the Blackhawks success at the time.

Plenty of Oilers fans are shocked the team would make this year, especially under the tenure of Jeff Jackson. There were many other candidates who had been in the league much more recently, with promising resumes, and without the history Stan Bowman has. With where this team is now, ready to contend for multiple Stanley Cups, this hiring feels like an entirely unforced error.

The NHL and multiple sources have reiterated that Bowman has 'done the work' to learn and improve himself from failing to act on an abuse claim within his organization. Still, the trust with much of the public has been permanently broken. For a team that built itself so much goodwill with fans recently, this hire is a major step in the wrong direction for the Edmonton Oilers.

Source: Elliotte Friedman