The Edmonton Oilers announced their new general manager on Wednesday, bringing in former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. Make that disgraced former Blackhawks GM.
While he comes with a solid resume filled with a history of winning big, it’s almost as big as the baggage he continues to carry from a sexual assault involving one of his prospective players and an employee that was horrendously mismanaged.
It’s a controversial hiring, to be sure, for the Oilers fan base. But what could it mean for a club that finds itself on the cusp of a championship heading into the 2024-25 NHL season?
WHO IS HE?
The son of Hall-of-Fame hockey coach Scotty Bowman, Stanley Bowman was named after Hockey’s Holy Grail itself, having been born one month after his father won the 1973 Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens. (That makes him 51 years old, for anyone keeping score.)
Unfortunately, his middle name is Glenn, and not Cup.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Bowman becomes the 11th GM of the club, replacing Ken Holland, who finished 255-159-41, with two appearances in the conference final as well as last season’s Stanley Cup Final run.
Bowman’s managerial career began with the Blackhawks as special assistant to the GM in 2001 before being promoted to hockey operations director and then assistant GM by 2007. As Blackhawks GM from 2009-21, he amassed a 493-310-109 record.
In total, he spent 20 years with the organization, right up until he was forced to resign and serve a suspension by the NHL.
THE GOOD
Under Bowman, the Blackhawks enjoyed the most successful championship stretch the NHL has seen over the past decade, winning the Cup three times in a span of six seasons, between 2010 and 2015.
His pedigree speaks for itself as the son of the most winning coach in league history, with Scotty Bowman amassing a ridiculous 1,244 wins to go along with 573 losses, 314 ties and 10 overtime losses on the way to a .581 win percentage.
The next line on that list reads 969 wins belonging to Joel Quenneville — remember that name.
There is a feeling out there that the Blackhawks roster Stan Bowman took over in his first year in the GM chair, which included Dustin Byfuglien, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews, to name a few, was akin to being brought in as a pinch runner on third base with a sac fly already in the air.
But as the saying goes, the only thing harder than winning it all is to win again. And for Bowman to hold everything together and win another championship shortly after, and then again right after that … Well, if it’s so easy why don’t more GMs do it?
THE BAD
OK, here’s the nitty gritty. When someone in your care brings forth allegations of sexual assault, regardless of whether or not your team is right in the middle of its 2010 Stanley Cup run, you have a choice to make:
- Do something about it yourself, immediately.
- Make sure it gets dealt with by someone soon after you hoist the Cup.
- Assume it was handled and then don’t bother doing anything about it until it becomes your problem a decade later, when it then looks like you had simply swept it under the rug.
The crime happened on Bowman’s watch and he didn’t do anything about it.
Or at the very least, he did not do nearly enough.
And that’s why he and then-Blackhawks head coach Quenneville (remember him?), along with the Blackhawks assistant GM at the time, Al MacIsaac, were suspended by the NHL for two and a half years, while the Blackhawks were fined $2 million.
In Edmonton, Bowman has found his first job since being reinstated earlier this month. And not all fans are particularly pleased, to say the least.
Only time will tell if any of those feelings change.
WHAT NOW?
With the roster basically set and all the important pieces returning to take care of unfinished business after falling one win shy of the Stanley Cup, Bowman has the luxury of turning his attention to the future of the team.
His first order of business? Signing star forward Leon Draisaitl, who is heading into the final year of his current term, to a contract extension. And then team captain Connor McDavid the following year.
“Leon’s a star player and he’s top priority for me,” Bowman said. “I want Leon to be an Oiler for life.
“I’ve enjoyed watching him play and I think what sets him and Connor apart from pretty much anyone else in the game is they are certainly stars, but they’re that rare breed that can elevate their game in the playoffs, which is a hard thing to do.
“You look at their performance and they’re the best there is. So, yes, I look at that as a priority. They clearly are a big part of what we’re doing, but it does take a team to win, so I think looking into the future, there is a great supporting cast right now and there is certainly a lot to be excited about.”
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge