Oilers hire Stan Bowman as GM and Executive VP

[Ghostsof1915]

1 hour ago, Elias Pettersson said:

 

Yes, I have Jesus on speed dial.  He takes my calls regularly.  Really nice guy actually.  He doesn't like atheists though...

I'm an atheist. God likes atheist better. Because we're not bothering him all the time. BTW he's telling me to tell you to stop harassing his son.

[CBH1926]

Since people are arguing about Stan’s GM level of success in Chicago, I figure I should chime in.

During his tenure in Chicago I have seen overwhelming majority of all Hawks games.

Dave Tallon drafted Kane, Toews and Hjalmarsson, traded for Hossa and Sharp, he also brought in Ladd, Campbell etc. His name was on 2010 cup as well as Bowman’s.

 

Mike Smith drafted Keith, Seabrook, and Byfuglien, Pullford drafted Bolland and Bickell etc.

The core players that won 3 Stanley cups are K & T, Dunc, Seabs, Hammer, Sharpie and Hossa, they all got there before Bowman got to Chicago. I don’t consider SB to be one of the greatest GM’s in the NHL history, despite the fact that his name is on 3 S’s. In case of Edmonton, all the baggage that comes with Stan, outweighs his mostly inherited GM accomplishments in Chicago. 

Edited July 27 by CBH1926

[Gurn]

On 7/24/2024 at 8:36 AM, Gurn said:

https://www.nhl.com/oilers/info/contact-us

 

just sent them an E mail telling them i won't watch or buy anything oiler till Bowman's gone.

Got a reply:

Thank you for your feedback. We understand and appreciate your input.

 

The decision to hire Stan Bowman as the Oilers General Manager was made after extensive due diligence into the 2010 Kyle Beach case and the subsequent work by Stan over the years to make amends and support Kyle—while also working with Sheldon Kennedy’s Respect Group to help make positive change. In regards to the Kyle Beach incident in 2010, Stan has acknowledged that trusting his superior to handle the situation as promised was not acceptable. Stan has taken full responsibility for his inadequate response.

 

Stan has since built a relationship with Kyle Beach and has worked with the Trinity Western male and female players, where Kyle now coaches, to build the team’s curriculum on creating a safe hockey culture—leveraging Stan’s work with the Respect Group. Both Kyle Beach and Sheldon Kennedy support the Oilers hiring of Stan Bowman, and Stan’s experiences since 2010 have him well-positioned to be a leader at OEG and an advocate within the NHL community.

 

The independent report is available here if you would like to learn more about the incident in 2010 and Sheldon Kennedy’s endorsement of Stan Bowman can be found here.

 

Thanks again your feedback

 

[DeNiro]

Again I don’t think anyone’s arguing that people shouldn’t be given second chances and can’t be forgiven.

 

The question is should they get a second chance in a coveted position like a general manager in the NHL? My answer would be no.

 

He can do lots of other things and continue making a difference but he does not deserve the privilege of being an NHL GM anymore. Seems to me like he hasn’t taken full responsibility either. Throwing people above him under the bus shows that he still doesn’t get it. He was the general manager, it falls on him.

[Fanuck]

20 hours ago, Gurn said:

Got a reply:

Thank you for your feedback. We understand and appreciate your input.

 

The decision to hire Stan Bowman as the Oilers General Manager was made after extensive due diligence into the 2010 Kyle Beach case and the subsequent work by Stan over the years to make amends and support Kyle—while also working with Sheldon Kennedy’s Respect Group to help make positive change. In regards to the Kyle Beach incident in 2010, Stan has acknowledged that trusting his superior to handle the situation as promised was not acceptable. Stan has taken full responsibility for his inadequate response.

 

Stan has since built a relationship with Kyle Beach and has worked with the Trinity Western male and female players, where Kyle now coaches, to build the team’s curriculum on creating a safe hockey culture—leveraging Stan’s work with the Respect Group. Both Kyle Beach and Sheldon Kennedy support the Oilers hiring of Stan Bowman, and Stan’s experiences since 2010 have him well-positioned to be a leader at OEG and an advocate within the NHL community.

 

The independent report is available here if you would like to learn more about the incident in 2010 and Sheldon Kennedy’s endorsement of Stan Bowman can be found here.

 

Thanks again your feedback

 

Unfortunately what it looks like is that he took all the steps necessary to make others believe he's changed and attoned for his mistakes, when in fact what many believe he should have done is stay out of hockey and any careers in society where he's in a position of authority over anyone for the rest of his life.   

 

I said it before,  he could've re-entered working society in a hundred different ways, yet he selfishly chose to go right back doing exactly what he was doing when he made his egregiously poor decisions - almost as if his life is right back to where it was before he was exposed.   

[NewbieCanuckFan]

On 7/26/2024 at 5:29 AM, spook007 said:

 

This is the truth.... win a cup, nothing else you do (while legal obviously) matters...

 

If Benning had won a cup (yes I know that was never going to happen, but if the stars aligned and all the opposition went down with Covid or whatever), he would have been hailed a hero... 

 

Gillis splits peoples opinion, but if the Sedins led Canucks had won game 7.... A statue of Gillis would probably have been erected in front Rodgers or GM place as it was.... Winning is the name of the game, and whether they leave the cupboards empty, makes zillion poor trades, inherited the squad or whatever, win the cup and nobody cares.... it's that simple...

To be fair, neither Gilis nor Benning went thru during the type of sick scandal(s) the Black Hawks went thru.  Not even remotely close despite Ron McLean's best efforts to vilify the Canucks.

[spook007]

45 minutes ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

To be fair, neither Gilis nor Benning went thru during the type of sick scandal(s) the Black Hawks went thru.  Not even remotely close despite Ron McLean's best efforts to vilify the Canucks.

Absolutely not... and as I said "obviously legal".... 

 

Fans are fickle though... there's an often used phrase 'he's a prick, but he is our prick"... 

I don't think there is any excuse for looking through fingers of any kind, when it comes to sexual assault, however I don't make the rules and as long as the league says, he has served his punishment, its up to us as individuals to decide, if we can accept people like that, regardless of which crime they committed...

 

I am sure there are lots of Oiler fans feeling uneasy about the situation, and if it goes pear shaped the knives will be out, however if they win the cup, a lot of the same fans will turn a blind eye to it... It will not stop them from celebrating...

 

My point however still stands, if Gilles or the most hated GM in modern Canucks times Benning, would be celebrated as geniuses no matter how rubbish part of their tenures were...

 

[CBH1926]

I was looking at Oilers website and their introduction of Bowman.
They refer to him as the architect of 2010, 2013 and 2015 SC winning teams.

I think Oilers ownership has been huffing some oil fumes to think that.

 

[4petesake]

On 7/27/2024 at 1:27 PM, DeNiro said:

Again I don’t think anyone’s arguing that people shouldn’t be given second chances and can’t be forgiven.

 

The question is should they get a second chance in a coveted position like a general manager in the NHL? My answer would be no.

 

He can do lots of other things and continue making a difference but he does not deserve the privilege of being an NHL GM anymore. Seems to me like he hasn’t taken full responsibility either. Throwing people above him under the bus shows that he still doesn’t get it. He was the general manager, it falls on him.

 

 

Agreed, he still doesn’t get it.

 

An excerpt from an Oilers fan on their Reddit:

 

Reminder that Kyle Beach was John Doe #1, there was also a John Doe #2 who was a Blackhawks player that was swept under the rug with an NDA, as well as a high school kid. The team allowed Bowman to resign to avoid an investigation, allowed him to use the Blackhawks as a confirmed former employer which helped him secure other jobs and led to the sexual assault of the high school kid.

 

Bowman paraded Sheldon and Kyle on his pr redemption tour but when asked about John Doe #2 and the 16 year old high school kid, he played the “I don’t recall” and “It’s unfortunate” cards.

 

 

[Master Mind]

On 7/27/2024 at 12:20 PM, Gurn said:

Got a reply:

Thank you for your feedback. We understand and appreciate your input.

 

The decision to hire Stan Bowman as the Oilers General Manager was made after extensive due diligence into the 2010 Kyle Beach case and the subsequent work by Stan over the years to make amends and support Kyle—while also working with Sheldon Kennedy’s Respect Group to help make positive change. In regards to the Kyle Beach incident in 2010, Stan has acknowledged that trusting his superior to handle the situation as promised was not acceptable. Stan has taken full responsibility for his inadequate response.

 

Stan has since built a relationship with Kyle Beach and has worked with the Trinity Western male and female players, where Kyle now coaches, to build the team’s curriculum on creating a safe hockey culture—leveraging Stan’s work with the Respect Group. Both Kyle Beach and Sheldon Kennedy support the Oilers hiring of Stan Bowman, and Stan’s experiences since 2010 have him well-positioned to be a leader at OEG and an advocate within the NHL community.

 

The independent report is available here if you would like to learn more about the incident in 2010 and Sheldon Kennedy’s endorsement of Stan Bowman can be found here.

 

Thanks again your feedback

 

 

I received the same response.

 

Among people that hate this hiring, the Oilers customer support team must be high on the list. So this hiring makes life more miserable for their own employees too.

[Gawdzukes]

On 7/27/2024 at 10:27 AM, DeNiro said:

Again I don’t think anyone’s arguing that people shouldn’t be given second chances and can’t be forgiven.

 

The question is should they get a second chance in a coveted position like a general manager in the NHL? My answer would be no.

 

He can do lots of other things and continue making a difference but he does not deserve the privilege of being an NHL GM anymore. Seems to me like he hasn’t taken full responsibility either. Throwing people above him under the bus shows that he still doesn’t get it. He was the general manager, it falls on him.

 

I've heard this statement before and I don't quite get it. What's the difference between an NHL GM gig and working say big business for an airline or something? He still has a high paying, challenging job, working with others where sexual harassment/assault could be an issue. Is it because he shouldn't be involved in something you like or esteem? Are hockey GM jobs more inherently special than all others or something, like he doesn't deserve to be allowed to have a desirable position, or acclaim of any sort? It seems a little arbitrary ... people deserve second chances but not really. 

 

He also explains to people that when he delegated the responsibility and didn't follow up that it was wrong. He in no way blames others for his mistakes. This is the part about learning from your errors, taking accountability, and helping to educate everyone so these horrific events don't happen to anyone else.

[Gurn]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/fans-bash-oilers-in-front-office-survey-despite-making-cup-final/ar-AA1opm6L?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=40bb6744cac0431bbddb13076cebb7c3&ei=52

"Despite making a deep playoff run and reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season, the Edmonton Oilers are ranked surprisingly low in a recent front-office rankings survey compiled by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn. Fans felt confident in the team’s management group when led by Jeff Jackson and the fact the Oilers were early favorites for the 2025 season. However, the recent hiring of Stan Bowman seems to have wiped most of that goodwill away

 

Essentially, the consensus feeling seems to be that the Oilers needed a new GM, but they didn’t need this one.

It seems wild that a team two goals away from winning the Stanley Cup and heavy favorites to give themselves a chance to do so again would be ranked 25th among 32 teams. Then again, some big decisions are coming up for this organization and if Bowman is the man making them, it’s understandable why there might be cause for concern.

Should Bowman’s Hiring Really Be That Big a Knock on the Oilers?

It seems wild that a team two goals away from winning the Stanley Cup and heavy favorites to give themselves a chance to do so again would be ranked 25th among 32 teams. Then again, some big decisions are coming up for this organization and if Bowman is the man making them, it’s understandable why there might be cause for concern.

One fan noted, “After a great summer of moves, the hiring of Stan Bowman has undone all my faith in the Oilers front office. Some issues are bigger than hockey, and it’s clear to me that this team no longer shares my values.” This person is not alone. There is a large contingent of fans who feel the Oilers didn’t read the room. Some feel the team doesn’t care. Perhaps that’s true, as the Oilers have often been a club content to march to the beat of its own drum. Sometimes, they choose to act because they can, not because they should, and who is anyone to say otherwise?

As the Oilers look to build on their success from last season, it will be intriguing to see how much of a sideshow this Bowman hiring becomes. While this is the results of only one survey, it’s clear that fans aren’t thrilled. The hope is that the same sentiment doesn’t carry over to the players.

[shiznak]

On 7/24/2024 at 2:43 PM, Satchmo said:

The date makes these assumptions believable. No tin hat required.   You just need to be observant and aware that politicians do this kind of thing all the time - they wait until 4:pm Friday afternoon to release news they would rather not have people discuss.  A holiday weekend is best.

Or just maybe that the timeframe where they get the most clicks/views……?

Also, we live in a world where there are countless platforms for bad press not to be overlooked.

Edited August 10 by shiznak

[The Lock]

On 7/27/2024 at 9:27 AM, DeNiro said:

Again I don’t think anyone’s arguing that people shouldn’t be given second chances and can’t be forgiven.

 

The question is should they get a second chance in a coveted position like a general manager in the NHL? My answer would be no.

 

He can do lots of other things and continue making a difference but he does not deserve the privilege of being an NHL GM anymore. Seems to me like he hasn’t taken full responsibility either. Throwing people above him under the bus shows that he still doesn’t get it. He was the general manager, it falls on him.

 

Yeah, I think it would have been better had Bowman at least been given a chance in a less prominent role such as an advisor of sorts. In my opinion, it's immediately seeing him back in a GM spot that's the issue. The result of this really screams "old boys country club" where, even if you do things that get you banned from the hockey world, you can still get your old job back later.

 

Must be such a hard life having to live off of the millions of dollars you made from being the son of a hockey legend, getting banned, only to get unbanned and have your job back later without consequence so you can make millions more.

[canuck73_3]

On 7/24/2024 at 1:40 PM, Roger Neilsons Towel said:

Let’s keep the politics to the political threads please. 

This had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with sexual assault. 

[Roger Neilsons Towel]

6 hours ago, canuck73_3 said:

This had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with sexual assault. 

A couple of the comments were political and this was three weeks ago so I’m pretty sure the point is moot.

[Rip The Mesh]

How does Bowman deal with a distracted player?

 

Who knows; He's probably finished being an all star player. 

[Rip The Mesh]