If Edmonton Oilers’ CEO Jeff Jackson is thinking of hiring former Chicago GM Stan Bowman as his new general manager, the recently NHL-reinstated Bowman has a strong character reference from Sheldon Kennedy, a victim of sexual abuse by Graham James as a junior hockey player.
Bowman was suspended by the NHL in 2021 along with coach Joel Quenneville and Hawks executive Al MacIsaac after an independent investigation into their role in the allegations of sexual assault by former Hawks’ video coach Brad Aldrich on player Kyle Beach in 2010.
On Kennedy’s Respect Group website, Kennedy wrote that “during our many conversations he (Bowman) took accountability for his actions and genuinely wanted to do better … his desire to acknowledge his mistakes and make amends with Kyle was sincere.”
Kennedy’s Respect Group has trained more than 2.5 million Canadians on their roles and responsibilities to prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination. Kennedy said Bowman jumped in to take part in the Respect Group’s charter training, and speaking to young players, Bowman said he should have been relentless in following up on every conversation and accusation rather than trusting others to do so.
In closing, Kennedy said “I believe Stan 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.”
Bowman clearly would be the most experienced candidate on Jackson’s search list with his three Stanley Cup rings in Chicago where he was GM from 2009 to 2021.
But, whether Jackson wants to go that route, after Bowman’s role in the sexual assault scandal, even with Kennedy’s public recommendation, is anybody’s guess.
Jackson, who said he has no interest in being the GM even though he was heavily involved in free agency and the trade of Ryan McLeod to Buffalo for Matt Savoie, has interviewed a number of candidates to replace Ken Holland. He has said he would like a new GM before the end of the month.
It’s not expected that Oilers longtime assistant GM Keith Gretzky, who looks after the Bakersfield AHL farm team and was certainly involved in the recent free agency and trades, will get the job. Gretzky, who has one year left on his contract, is valued highly by Jackson, but Jackson may want to go outside the organization for his GM hire. Gretzky was interim Oilers GM in 2019 after Peter Chiarelli was fired; he traded Cam Talbot and brought back Sam Gagner into the organization for Ryan Spooner.
There’s a long list of good candidates with former Leafs assistant GM and current London Knights’ junior owner/manager Mark Hunter, one of the finalists in 2019 for the Oilers job, eminently qualified. The Oilers drafted two of Hunter’s players, Sam O’Reilly and William Nicholl this past June, and Evan Bouchard is another former London junior.
Jackson certainly isn’t making his search list public but the list could also include Seattle assistant GM Jason Botterill, who has experience as a GM in Buffalo; Shawn Horcoff, the former Oilers captain who has paid his dues as one of Steve Yzerman’s right-hand men in Detroit; Tampa assistant GM Mathieu Darche, seemingly on the short list for every GM opening; former Leafs/Canucks executive Laurence Gilman; current Vegas goalie coach Sean Burke, who was manager of Canada’s Olympic team in 2018 and an Oiler GM finalist in 2019, and maybe a young wild card like Toronto assistant manager Ryan Hardy.
Jackson, who was part of the Maple Leafs front office for four years before going into the agency business, has a family living outside Toronto. He doesn’t want to be tied down doing the day-to-day work of a general manager. Holland’s five-year contract ended June 30 and the 68-year-old Hall of Famer is taking his time to see if he wants to take another hockey job.
This ‘n’ that: Former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft had an in-person interview for the Columbus Blue Jackets bench job Tuesday. Woodcroft, let go by the Oilers in mid November, is one of the two finalists, with former Minnesota coach Dean Evason the other, in the running to replace Pascal Vincent. Vincent is now Montreal’s AHL farm coach in Laval. Evason had his face-to-face interview with Columbus president/GM Don Waddell Wednesday. The door may still be a tad ajar with ex Oilers coach Todd McLellan. Waddell reportedly had McLellan as his first choice but reportedly couldn’t work out financial arrangements with McLellan and the Kings, with McLellan still owed $5.5 million for this upcoming season. If the Jackets want Woodcroft, he has another year on his Oilers contract at a much cheaper salary, but some financial two-team agreement would have to be worked out there, too … Keith Gretzky once played with Waddell in Flint (IHL) in 1987-88, when Waddell was player/assistant coach. He lived with Waddell’s family … Former NHLer Kyle Chipchura, who worked with the Oil Kings this past season, is now assistant coach and manager of player development. WHL head coach Luke Pierce is bringing aboard former Swift Current Broncos head man Devan Praught as his assistant, too. Mat Barrett will do radio play-by-play and head up media communications this year … One-time Oil Kings’ head coach Derek Laxdal was just hired by Seattle to be head man in AHL Coachella Valley, replacing Dan Byslma, who has the Kraken job now.