Stan Bowman is back in the NHL after the Edmonton Oilers announced on Wednesday that He was hired as the franchise’s newest general manager.
The hire comes three weeks after Bowman, along with former Blackhawks executive Al MacIsaac and former coach Joel Quenneville, were reinstated to the NHL after being disciplined by the NHL in 2021 for their inadequate response to the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal .
All three were banned from holding executive roles in the NHL after an independent investigation showed they mishandled former Blackhawk Kyle Beach’s 2010 sexual assault allegations toward Brad Aldrich, the team’s then-video coach.
The NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million and the team settled with Beach for an undisclosed amount of money in December 2021.
On July 1, Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville were officially reinstated and became eligible on July 10 to join a team.
Bowman’s work with the Respect Group
Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy, who was a victim of sexual abuse by his junior hockey coach, Graham James, is the co-founder of Respect Group, which empowers “people to recognize and prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination through interactive online certification.” Last week, he released a statement about the work he did with Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville during his time away from hockey.
“During our many conversations (Bowman) took responsibility for his actions and truly wanted to learn how to do better. His desire to own up to his mistakes and make peace with Kyle was sincere.” said Kennedy in his statement.
“I believe Stan would be a valuable asset to an organization due to his recognition of past mistakes and his tireless efforts to make the locker room/game safer for everyone. He has the insights, knowledge and confidence needed to lead in this area I feel that building a strong, healthy culture within an organization and continually practicing it will be a top priority for Stan. I also believe that Stan will carry this message within the hockey ecosystem, which can only help.
“Lastly and most importantly, I feel that Stan will do everything in his power to ensure that what happened to Kyle Beach (who is a hero in my opinion) does not happen to anyone else.
“I know that wherever Stan ends up, whether in hockey or otherwise, he will be a true champion in the important area of Respect.”
Bowman replaces Ken Holland, who had been the Oilers’ GM since 2019 but did not have his contract renewed following the 2023-24 NHL season, which saw the team fall in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
