Can new Edmonton Oilers G.M. Stan Bowman overcome the long ...

If Jeff Jackson is taken aback by the volume and ferocity of the initial blowback in the face of the Stan Bowman hiring as Edmonton Oilers General Manager and Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations, then he has not been paying attention.

It is any General Manager’s job to decide whether an organizational decision is in line with the standards of their community. That includes hockey, where obviously the on-ice product is also of primary concern.

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But Twitter is also not real life. And the Edmonton Oilers CEO has clearly decided that the on-ice resume of Stan Bowman outweighs the pushback he may face in the wake of this hiring (and, frankly, preceding it).

Will Jeff Jackson ultimately look back and conclude that this was a mistake? Perhaps. But I am not sure any of us can determine that with certainty until we get much further down the road. We will see.

In the meantime, here is one perspective on the hiring itself.

It is not lost on me that Stan Bowman has spoken with Kyle Beach. First, it was to apologize for 2010. Then, eventually, the two collaborated with one another (with Respect Group Inc) in an effort to prevent these situations on other teams. Bowman even called Kyle Beach on Tuesday to give him the heads-up that he was going to be hired in Edmonton. Stan Bowman described that conversation as “encouraging.” Jeff Jackson also reached out to Beach recently and apparently received “positive approval” to have Stan reinstated.

That is significant. The victim in the Chicago Black Hawks organization was Mr. Beach. As a result, it is hard to think of anyone whose opinion would or should carry more weight. It also bears repeating that Stan Bowman was not the criminal perpetrator in Kyle Beach’s sexual assault. Bowman did not molest him. Or anyone. Stan Bowman was not convicted of any crime.

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He did, however, make a serious error in judgement in how he did (or did not) manage his share of the situation. And Bowman’s misguided faith in others within his organization led to further alleged acts of abuse elsewhere. Stan Bowman was culpable and correctly suspended by the NHL. He paid a price. The question now: What price is high enough?

Mr. Bowman did not receive a lifetime suspension. He did fulfill the one handed to him. During that suspension, he took necessary steps in order to address a wrong and better understand how to prevent a repeat. Now that he has served that penalty and better educated himself, is it appropriate for Bowman to continue to pay? Is justice an infinite penalty? Can it also be restorative?

It strikes me that the education on this subject which Bowman has received may be deeper and more detailed than what most of us will ever get. He had first-hand access to people such as Sheldon Kennedy who would surely have amongst the very highest standards imaginable when it comes to protecting young athletes from would-be predators.

In other words, there ironically may be few better equipped to help change what is bad about hockey than the Stan Bowman of today. But fans will still ask if there were not other, best-in-class  candidates without this kind of baggage. Would they not have done an equally decent job? Then the club could have avoided all this. And pissed fewer people off.

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I believe that most fans come at this from a genuine place of concern. Right-thinking people that see a wrong and do all they can to ensure that it does not get repeated. These folks have in many ways adopted young players in this organization. They care about them. They look out for them. It would be wrong to dismiss those honest, human emotions. That is the good in people.

Bowman:

“I respect the way they feel. It’s going to be my job to try to win them over. The goal is to try to do it through your actions as opposed to what you’re saying. I understand where they’re coming from, and I want to try to earn their respect over time.”

Whether Stan Bowman can do that is your question to answer. Not the clubs. Not Bowman’s or Jackson’s. Not mine nor any other journalist who may have an opinion.

If you have not already, though, I do recommend going through the Jenner & Block report. I have. It is a difficult read.

But if you feel up to it, it contains the facts as we know them. And it offered some context for my own emotions.

Perhaps it would, for yours, too.

Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.

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