Oilers facing backlash from fans after hiring Stan Bowman
Many Edmonton Oilers fans feel disappointed and are even questioning the support of their favourite team this morning.
After plenty of speculation over the past few weeks, the Oilers announced that they have hired Stan Bowman as their new general manager. The decision comes less than a month after Bowman was reinstated by the NHL following an indefinite suspension.
Bowman resigned as the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks following an investigation that determined he and several others failed to take appropriate action after learning that Kyle Beach had alleged he was assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010. It was a horrible situation, one that many Oilers fans feel should have kept him out of the NHL for good.
I now have 2 season seats going for a very cheap price….
— juan pablo (@Pizz14) July 24, 2024
This is a stain on everything good that is going on here in Edmonton. This is not a smart hockey decision.
— Jason (@LL_Cool_J11) July 24, 2024
I’m so utterly ashamed of my team. I will not buy a ticket nor a single piece of merchandise as long as this man is employed by the Oilers.
— Raider Jesse (@EdmontonRaider) July 24, 2024
— Darby (@DarbyYEG) July 24, 2024
Disappointed
— Uncle Tony (@Maattteeee) July 24, 2024
— Baggedmilk… LTIR someone, I wanna cheat (@jsbmbaggedmilk) July 24, 2024
Lost respect for the team
Can’t stomach this at all
Waste of a season
Rebuild coming in soon— oily life is great 🧡💙 (@lion_teaa) July 24, 2024
Lost a fan … and won’t support the club in any form until he’s gone !!!
— the-end (@BrazilWpg) July 24, 2024
Absolute insane move.
Man just walks back into one of the best situations in the league. The fan base is collectively shaking their heads
— Rich – RK Athletics (@RKathletics1) July 24, 2024
Speechless.
So disappointed in this franchise.#GarbageMove— powerwatcher🇨🇦🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@DonaPerreault) July 24, 2024
I’m disgusted and disappointed by this. Could have hired literally anyone else
— Stazer (@stoesznai) July 24, 2024
Yah, I’m baffled by this. Even if JJ didn’t want to be the de-facto GM he could have hired say, Botteril, Hunter, or Gretzky and had an oversight position in the short term. Talk about a momentum killer…
— Doug Bowles (@psychopike) July 24, 2024
Nothing like bringing in a massive distraction and flooding the organization in a veil of negativity just as Draisaitl (and subsequently McDavid) are considering their next contracts.
— X – J.W. Crawford (@AuthorJCrawford) July 24, 2024
Incredibly tone deaf. Oilers going to lose a lot of support outside of Edmonton. Even diehards must be questioning this decision. Positivity and momentum of astute offseason signings stopped in its tracks.
— Mike Beamish (@sixbeamers) July 24, 2024
This is a head scratcher. They didn’t need to save this guy. Lot’s of good candidates out there you don’t need the headache or target.
— Michael McHale (@mchale39) July 24, 2024
As disappointed as Oilers fans are, and rightfully so, it’s worth noting that Sheldon Kennedy, a survivor of sexual assault himself, vouched for Bowman today following his hiring. Kennedy wrote a lengthy letter explaining that Bowman has put in a ton of volunteer work with his company, Respect Group, to help make hockey a safe environment for everyone involved. Kennedy made it clear that he believes Bowman is remorseful for his lack of action back in 2010 and is deserving of a second chance.
To many, however, this hiring overshadows what had otherwise been an excellent offseason for the Oilers. During his short time serving as interim GM, Jeff Jackson was not only able to re-sign key players such as Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, and Connor Brown, but also bolstered their forward group with the additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson.
As many comments on X pointed out, Bowman is walking into an incredible situation given the talent on the Oilers roster. Whether he deserves the opportunity, however, is a very tense point of debate.
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