Stan Bowman is returning to the NHL.
The Edmonton Oilers will hire Bowman as their new general manager, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday.
Bowman replaces Ken Holland, who was not offered an extension by the Oilers when his contract expired on June 30 after a deep playoff run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The former general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Bowman — in addition to coach Joel Quenneville and fellow executive Al MacIsaac — were banned in 2021 from holding executive positions in the NHL after an independent investigation revealed that they had mishandled allegations of sexual assault raised by a former player, who later identified himself as Kyle Beach, regarding the team’s video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.
The Blackhawks were subsequently fined $2 million by the league, and settled with Beach for an undisclosed amount in December 2021.
All three executives involved were officially reinstated by the NHL on July 1 and were eligible to sign a contract as of July 10.
Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, co-founder of the Respect Group, released a statement earlier this week saying that he has worked closely with Bowman on several initiatives. In the statement, Kennedy said he feels Bowman “would be a valuable asset to an organization due to his acknowledgment of past mistakes and his relentless efforts to make the locker room/game safer for everyone.”
Respect Group trains Canadians on their roles and responsibilities to prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.
Bowman was part of presentations for the Respect Charter pilot program. Kennedy said Bowman co-facilitated a Respect Charter session last year at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., where one of the workshop attendees was Beach, then an assistant coach with school’s men’s hockey team.
“I heard from both men afterwards that they appreciated the opportunity to meet again, discuss their personal realities, and to clear the air given that time had passed,” Kennedy said.
Bowman served in the Blackhawks organization — first as a general manager, then as president of hockey operations — from 2009 to 2021. He won the Stanley Cup three times during that span. He is the son of Hockey Hall of Fame coach Scott Bowman.
