Stan Bowman talked with Kyle Beach before taking Oilers GM job
The Edmonton Oilers introduced the highly controversial Stan Bowman as their new GM this morning.
During a media conference at Rogers Place, the former Chicago Blackhawks GM was subject to a gauntlet of questions from the media about his role in covering up the alleged 2010 sexual assault of ex-NHL player Kyle Beach at the hands of then-Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich.
An investigation into the scandal in 2021 revealed that Bowman failed to properly report the assault. This report resulted in the 51-year-old resigning from his role as Blackhawks GM and being temporarily suspended from working in the NHL, a suspension that was recently rescinded by the league.
That suspension has had Bowman out of the league for a little over two years, during which time he worked with former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy to realize his mistakes and become a better person.
The veteran executive revealed in today’s press conference that he spoke with Beach before taking the Oilers GM job.
“I actually called Kyle [Beach] last night to give him a heads up that this was happening today,” Bowman said. “We had a nice conversation, we talked for about 15 minutes and I don’t want to share the details of it but I will say it was a very encouraging conversation.”
#Oilers GM Bowman did say he was in contact with Kyle Beach as early as last night:
"I called Kyle [Beach] last night to give him a heads up that this was happening today… We had a nice conversation, we talked for about 15 minutes… it was a very encouraging conversation."
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) July 24, 2024
Being in communication with Beach has been part of the process that Bowman has been going over for the past two years. When this all came to light in 2021, Bowman said that he had initially reached out to Beach but did not receive a response.
He tried again once he started working with Kennedy and finally got ahold of Beach. The two started talking with each other and going through what happened with the Blackhawks back in 2010.
“I wasn’t sure what to make of that [first] call [with Beach],” Bowman admitted. “My goal in reaching out was to apologize and to let him know that I felt for everything he had went through.
“We ended up talking for probably close to 90 minutes. Covered a lot of different things, we certainly talked about 2010 and that situation but then things shifted. We started talking about his family.”
During that phone call, Bowman learnt that Beach had started coaching hockey. After a conversation about the initiatives Bowman was working on with Kennedy, the two decided to team up and Bowman helped out with the team that Beach was coaching last summer.
“I think that was a big moment for both of us,” Bowman said. “We spent a day and a half together, we certainly reflected on the past, but I think it was more so looking ahead to how we could kinda mend fences and I could bring something of value to his team.
“I’ve kept in touch with him since that point, throughout their season, so I understand the interest in that and I hope that provides some context on how we’ve been working together.”
The Oilers have also been in contact with Beach throughout this entire process. Edmonton CEO Jeff Jackson, who was also on hand for the press conference, laid out what the Oilers have done to make sure they establish contact with Beach.
“I’ve spoken with Kyle myself a couple weeks ago,” Jackson said. “Had a good conversation, he was very supportive of Stan’s reinstatement.”
It’s going to take a lot for Bowman to gain the respect of the fan base, and trust will be something that needs to be earned over the next little while. While there are still plenty of questions surrounding the ethics of such a move, it’s encouraging to hear that one of the main victims of the scandal has had a voice in the matter.
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