Stan Bowman was named general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations by the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, marking his return to the NHL after nearly three years on the sidelines for what the league deemed an “inadequate response” to sexual assault allegations brought forth by former player Kyle Beach during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bowman was reinstated by the NHL on July 1 along with former Blackhawks executive Al MacIsaac and head coach Joel Quenneville, with the league saying that each was eligible to work again after demonstrating remorse and using the time away to participate in programs that focused on the importance of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse.
“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,” said Bowman, who added that he called Beach on Tuesday night to give him a “heads-up” that he was being hired in Edmonton. “I didn’t handle things properly. I should have done more. And that’s something I regret, and it’s something that I’ve had a chance to reflect on and try to learn from.”
The #Oilers have named Stan Bowman General Manager & Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 24, 2024
Bowman received a significant endorsement earlier this month from Sheldon Kennedy, whose Respect Group works within and outside the NHL to make hockey a more inclusive and safe environment by attempting to identify and root out bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination. Kennedy said that Bowman, Quenneville and MacIsaac reached out to him after their suspensions, but only Bowman received such a lengthy, detailed endorsement.
“I was immediately struck by Stan’s genuine care and concern for Kyle, and what could have been done differently,” Kennedy wrote. “During that period, we spoke almost daily about the seriousness of sexual abuse from the victim’s perspective. We didn’t talk about hockey at all. We focused on what went wrong, what he could have done differently and, most importantly, what could be done to prevent this from happening again.”
Kennedy went so far as to attend Bowman’s introductory news conference on Wednesday. Oilers president Jeff Jackson had spoken with Kennedy, as well, and said that he wouldn’t have hired Bowman without knowing all the work he had done with Kennedy.
“What happened to Kyle Beach in 2010 was wrong, was horrible,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t handled properly at the time. I think Stan has acknowledged and taken full responsibility for the inadequate response. But I also know he spent a great deal of time in the 2 1/2 years since then to educate himself, to try to learn.”
Kennedy wrote that seeing people “accept the truth” and “demonstrate a willingness to change” is what gives him hope in his line of work.
“Stan exemplifies this to me,” he wrote, adding that Bowman’s “desire to acknowledge his mistakes and make amends with Kyle was sincere.”
Upon Kennedy’s invitation, Bowman worked “nearly full-time hours,” Kennedy said, in building and running a workshop for three Western Hockey League teams, using his own failure in the Aldrich case as an example.
In the wake of the Jenner & Block report that immediately led to his ouster in Chicago, Bowman largely laid the blame at then-president John McDonough’s feet. Kennedy’s letter suggested that Bowman now takes more ownership of his role in the organizational failure.
“Stan spoke about how he personally should have been relentless in following up on every conversation and accusation, rather than trusting others to do so,” Kennedy wrote.
Bowman said that he hopes to use his new platform to improve the culture both within the Oilers organization and in the hockey world at large.
“I want to,” he said. “What I really believe in is there is an ability to make change and to learn from situations and to grow from them. That’s what I look at. … What happened to Sheldon and what happened to Kyle is terrible. Fortunately, that’s not as common as other things that happen on teams — harassment, hazing, bullying. Those are probably more common. We want to get rid of all of it.”
Bowman is a three-time Stanley Cup winner who takes over an Oilers team that fell one win short of a championship last season. He was hired by Jackson, who had served as interim GM since the organization mutually agreed to part ways with Ken Holland following the Stanley Cup Final.
Bowman’s experience with star players — he had Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago, and now has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton — and building around them appealed to Jackson. Bowman arrives in Edmonton with significant organizational decisions on the horizon, as Draisaitl is eligible to test free agency next summer and McDavid is only under contract for two more seasons.
A major payday also awaits top defenseman Evan Bouchard when his current contract expires after the 2024-25 season. Stretching out the team’s win-now window will be a major priority.
“Leon’s a star player, he’s top priority for me,” Bowman said. “I want Leon to be an Oiler for life. He’s a fantastic player, I’ve enjoyed watching him play and I think what sets him and Connor apart from pretty much anyone else in the game, they’re certainly stars but they’re the rare breed that can elevate their game in the playoffs. They clearly are a big part of what we’re doing. But it does take a team to win.”
Bowman spent 12 years as Blackhawks GM before resigning in October 2021 after a report from law firm Jenner & Block detailed the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and untimely handling of allegations from Beach against video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 playoffs.
The report revealed a meeting where Bowman and five other senior team executives discussed the allegations against Aldrich after the Blackhawks won the Western Conference final and decided that hockey operations personnel should devote their exclusive attention to on-ice matters heading into the Stanley Cup Final, allowing a period of three weeks to pass before any action was taken.
The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million following the release of the Jenner & Block report.
In addition to relinquishing his roles as president of hockey operations and GM in Chicago at that time, Bowman stepped down as GM for Team USA’s entry at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Jackson said that while he respected the opinions of any fans who don’t like the hire, he’s “not worried about it.” Bowman said he has work to do to earn the fans’ trust.
“One thing I’ve learned over time is it’s very difficult to try to talk people into things,” Bowman said. “So I’m not going to try to make an argument on why they should feel a certain way. I respect the way that they feel. What I would say is it’s going to be my job to try to win them over. The goal is to try to do it through your actions as opposed to what you’re saying. I understand where they’re coming from and I want to try to earn their respect over time. It may not come right away, but that’s OK. I’m going to stick with it. I’m here to make a difference.”
Bowman is the son of legendary coach Scotty Bowman. The 51-year-old served as director of hockey operations and assistant GM in Chicago before being promoted to GM in 2009, overseeing the teams that won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
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(Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)