Edmonton Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson stood up for his controversial decision to hire Stan Bowman as GM of the Edmonton Oilers.
Jackson said when it came to fan reaction to the Bowman hiring, his job was to do what was best for the Oilers organization.
“I think fans are entitled always to their opinion. They have opinions about firing coaches and making trades and everything else. I think the decision to bring Stan in is one that is the best interests of the organization for a number of reasons… I have to respect the fans’ opinions. I think that Stan’s work over the next few years here will dictate how they respond. I think they will give him a chance. I think that some of the facts that haven’t been out there are now getting out into the public. I’m not worried about it. My job is to try to make an elite organization and have people who are collaborative and progressive and good people, and I think Stan is all of those things.”
Jackson said he and Bowman share the same “forward-thinking and progressive” vision of how to build an NHL organization. Jackson said he interviewed many candidates, but he kept coming back to Bowman as the best pick.
Bowman was suspended by the NHL for more than two years due to the Chicago Blackhawks’ mishandling of the Kyle Beach case. The NHL fined Chicago $2 million, having found “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment with the Club and ultimate departure in 2010.”
The NHL reinstated Bowman, former Hawks Asst. GM Al MacIsaac and former Hawks coach Joel Quenneville on July 1, 2024. Rumours at once heated up Bowman might end up in Edmonton, as has now happened.
“What happened to Kyle Beach in 2010 was wrong, it was horrible, it wasn’t handled properly at the time,” Jackson said. “I think Stan has acknowledged and taken full responsibility for the inadequate response.”
Jackson said he talked to sexual abuse victim and victim’s advocate Sheldon Kennedy about the Bowman hiring. “I knew he had done a lot of work with Stan over the years… He gave a full endorsement of Stan’s work, his commitment, the fact that he’s sure that he learned from his mistakes. That was a big part of this decision for me.”
Kennedy attended the Edmonton press conference in support of Bowman.
Bowman was GM of the management team that led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup wins.
Bowman said he’d like to look forward to where the Oilers are headed. “I’m not here to re-litigate the past but I do think it’s important to start off by touching on my departure from the Blackhawks… I can tell you in this room, as well as everyone watching, and something I’ve said to Kyle Beach, my response was inadequate back in 2010. I didn’t handle things properly. I should have done more. That’s something I regret.”
Bowman said he has learned from people like Kennedy about how things should happen in terms of hockey culture and in terms of sexual abuse allegations. “I can tell you without a doubt that those things will never happen on my watch again.”
The key, Bowman said, is to learn from mistakes that happened in the past.
Bowman said he talked to Kyle Beach last night, speaking to him for 15 minutes. “I will say it was a very encouraging conversation.”
Beach, a former Chicago first round draft pick, sued the Blackhawks in May 2021, which led to Bowman resigning from the Blackhawks in Oct. 2021. Bowman said he reached out to Beach afterwards.
Beach did not respond at first, Bowman said. After he went to work with Sheldon Kennedy, Bowman said Kennedy encouraged him to reach out again, that it can take time for victims to process all that has happened.
Bowman said he took that to heart and eventually contacted Beach again. “My goal in reaching out was to apologize and to let him know I felt for everything he had went through.”
This time Beach responded and was open to talking, Bowman said. The two talked for about 90 minutes in that first conversation, speaking about what happened in 2010 and about Beach and his family, his young son, and about Beach’s work as an asst. coach at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. Bowman offered to work with Beach’s team in regards to the curriculum about hockey culture that Bowman had developed with Kennedy.
Beach set up a session with Bowman. They spent a day and a half together, with Bowman working with Trinity Western male and female players in August 2023. The two kept in touch this year.
Jackson said he did not talk to Edmonton Oilers players about the hiring of Bowman. “I did not talk to the players… The player are consulted on many things on a day-to-day basis, about their travel, about their practice schedule, about how they’re feeling about things. They are not consulted on the firing and hiring of coaches or general managers. That’s not what they want. They don’t want to do that.”
Bowman said he had other opportunities to go to other NHL cities but Jackson’s approach got his attention. “I’ve always been impressed with his approach, his mind.”
In Chicago, Bowman told independent investigators Jenner & Block that when initial and incomplete reports of what had gone on between Aldrich and Beach first came forward, team president John McDonough said he would handle the matter. But nothing happened for almost a month, with Blackhawks Human Resources eventually confronting Aldrich and telling him he could either resign or be subject to investigation. Aldrich resigned.
He went on to have paid and unpaid positions with USA Hockey, the University of Notre Dame, Miami University in Ohio, and Houghton High School in Houghton, Michigan. While in Houghton, in 2013, Aldrich was arrested and pled guilty to fourth degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.
Jackson said he had also spoken to Beach, but said he did not speak out to this second victim of Aldrich, as that person has not been identified. “It’s not possible to reach out to them.”
Asked about what he had learned from all this, Bowman said, “I think the biggest thing I learned from Sheldon is the negative power of silence and not taking a bigger role. When I look back on it, that’s what I reflect on. You don’t want to assume other people are doing things. You want to take an active role and make sure things happen that are supposed to happen.”
Sex abuse is terrible but it’s not as common as harassment, hazing and bullying on teams, Bowman said, all of it tearing at the fabric of the culture of the team. “We want to get rid of all of it.”
Bowman said he understood the negative reaction of some fans to his hiring and respected their opinion.
“One thing I’ve learned over time it is very difficult to talk people into things. So I’m not going to make an argument on why they should feel a certain way. I respect the way that they feel. It’s going to be my job to try to win them over. I think 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. I’m going to try to win their respect over time.”
As for the Oilers, Bowman said he was a fan of the team and the journey the team went on this past season. “It was impressive to see.”
He said he was amazed at the excitement of the fans. “Without a doubt, this is the best fanbase in all of hockey.”
