SportsHockeyOilers

Some Oilers fans are threatening to pull support after Bowman hiring

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Jul 25 2024, 4:13 pm
Some Oilers fans are threatening to pull support after Bowman hiring
Sportsnet

The hiring of Stan Bowman as the next GM of the Edmonton Oilers has proven to be a deeply unpopular move with segments of the fan base.

After it was announced that the Oilers would be hiring the 51-year-old executive, many fans took to social media to express their extreme displeasure with the hire. Much of this angst stems from his role in a 2010 sexual assault scandal that occurred under his watch as the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bowman failed to properly report the assault. A 2021 investigation resulted in the NHL suspending him from working in the league. That suspension was lifted earlier this month.

Some Oilers fans are not only angry with the team, but are also pledging to stop supporting the organization altogether. A post on the Oilers subreddit has garnered over 2,000 upvotes and includes multiple fans who want to do just that.

“I can’t support this team the same way I always have,” the author of the post wrote. “Money is obviously the only thing these guys care about, so I’ve stopped paying for Oilers+, and [Sportsnet].

“I will also not support any of the Oilers’ main sponsors.”

I’ve canceled my subscriptions. Who else is with me?
byu/fables_of_faubus inEdmontonOilers

The post has also garnered over 850 comments from other Oilers fans, many of whom are pledging to follow suit in protest of Bowman becoming the GM.

For many, the decision to do so is deeply disappointing considering the team is coming off an amazing season and has had a very encouraging offseason with the additions of Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and Matthew Savoie.

For some, the hiring of Bowman seems to be a step too far.

“This is an absolute embarrassment,” commented another user on the post. ” It’s gonna suck because they improved so much. You could have had a bag of sand as GM and they would have made it deep in the playoffs.”

“I’m so disappointed. I was really looking forward to the upcoming season and now I’m just disgusted,” said another.

“Go ahead and spit in my face why don’t you,” another user wrote. “I will not support this team in any way, shape or form — whether with purchases of gear, tickets, etc. or with my time and viewership so long as Bowman has a job.”

The distaste for the move has not been limited to Reddit, as many Oilers fans on X have similar opinions and are pledging to stop supporting the team as long as Bowman is a part of the organization.

The move is a baffling one from a PR perspective. The roster for next season was more or less set and all the team needed was someone to trim around the edges. Hiring someone as controversial as Bowman, who hasn’t had much success in the past six years in the GM chair with Chicago, doesn’t seem to make much sense on the surface.

A large subset of fans are livid with this move and, while they vow to cut ties with the team now, we’ll see if they follow through with those threats when the new season gets underway.

 

Preston HodgkinsonPreston Hodgkinson

Edmonton sports staff writer covering everything from the Oilers to the Elks.

+ Offside
+ Hockey
+ Oilers
ADVERTISEMENT

SUBSCRIBE TO THE HIVE

Get the latest news sent to your inbox and stay in the loop