Oilers Hit With Tsunami Of Backlash After Hiring Disgraced Exec Involved In Blackhawks Scandal Cover-Up As New GM

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Earlier this month, the NHL gave teams the green light to hire a trio of men who’d been indefinitely suspended for their role in the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal, and the Edmonton Oilers have predictably found themselves weathering a firestorm of controversy after deciding to give Stan Bowman another chance to be a GM.

I assume most NHL fans are familiar with the shameful coverup the Chicago Blackhawks engaged in when former prospect Kyle Beach informed the team he’d been sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich during their Stanley Cup run in 2010.

The franchise declined to take any internal action for more than a month before allowing Alrich to quietly resign and managed to keep the situation under wraps for more than a decade before Beach filed an explosive lawsuit in 2021.

The NHL subsequently ordered the Blackhawks to conduct an independent investigation that led to the league hitting the franchise with a $2 million fine in the wake of the report outlining their culpability.

Following its release, GM Stan Bowman, front office executive Al MacIsaacn, and former Chicago coach Joel Quenneville (who was with the Panthers when the scandal came to light) resigned from their positions, and all three of them were hit with an indefinite ban that was quietly lifted in the Friday news dump the NHL pulled while free agency moves were dominating headlines at the start of July.

It didn’t take long for people to link Bowman (who helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup three times) to the GM vacancy the Edmonton Oilers found themselves dealing with after parting ways with Ken Holland in the wake of their loss to the Panthers and the Stanley Cup Finals, and on Wednesday, the franchise revealed it had decided to do exactly that when it officially announced he’d been hired.

The tweet in question was flooded with angry responses from Edmonton’s own supporters and hockey fans in general who ripped into the organization for giving Bowman a second chance, and if there are any people in favor of the move, it’s safe to say they’re in the vast minority based on the hundreds of reactions I’ve sifted through on social media.

Now, it is obviously worth noting former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy recently penned a letter outlining the work Bowman has done to atone for his sins while working in conjunction with the Respect Group, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that fairly glowing seal of approval played a big role in Edmonton decision to hire him.

Based on what Kennedy had to say, it does seem like Bowman is genuinely remorseful and has spent years doing what he can to learn from the heinous situation that forced him into hockey exile.

As a result, I can understand why some people would argue he’s earned the right to redeem himself, but based on what Beach endured, it’s just as easy to comprehend why people are still angry with the Oilers for wasting no time ushering him into another prominent role.