Confirmed with Link: Oilers hire Stan Bowman as GM & Executive VP- press conference at 10:30

[slaman]

Yeah, this I can totally get behind. People on social media generally only voice concern/care about things that they are "supposed" to care about. Everything that happened around the Blackhawks is of course gross and inexcusable, but the vast majority of those in the angry mob only come out in droves when there is *news* to react to. The rest of the time, they don't do or say shit.

That's because those who were responsible and involved aren't in hockey anymore... except today.

 

[dem]

lol at these pronouncements. You'll be back like you have been before. Oh the drama.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

lol at these pronouncements. You'll be back like you have been before. Oh the drama.

What do you mean back like I've been before. I'd never left before.

Anyways, I can already see how this is going to go in this forum...

 

[OfCorsiDid]

This. Primarily the bolded.

What is wrong with people in present day? What is this need to banish people for transgression? Redemption not possible?

Atonement. This is an org that has often given 2nd chances to players or staff and did to Murphy, MacTavish, Murdoch, Kane, Perry, and now are doing it again.

Try to judge Bowman on merit rather than other.

I think you’re missing the point.

People are allowed to atone. However, just because they’re atoning does not mean they can be automatically forgiven, nor should they.

Bowman was and is an adult. He made a decision in 2010 to turn a blind eye to the sexual assault of two minors. Was it illegal? No. Was it wrong? Yes.

Either way he did commit a transgression and deserves to be punished for it. He hasn’t received any punishment that even remotely equates to the damage done to those young men. Some sins are unforgivable.

That being said if you want merit:
- Teravainen trade
- Panarin trade
- Jones contract

All 3 moves are egregious as hell. It’s like we didn’t learn anything from hiring Holland.

 

[K1984]

Jog on you toolbox

Why are you still here?

You are "done," so time to be done. You said your piece and are no longer a fan of the team. Don't need to hear anymore.

 

[Cloned]

My reaction, along with the majority of Oilers fans, is 100% negative. Even if his crime was deferring too much to others and not following up, and even if he spent two years educating himself with Sheldon Kennedy, he shouldn't get to come back into hockey at this senior level. It's such a horrific signal all around.

On the flip side, given the work he's done, there is likely no other GM in hockey that is more informed about sexual assault, bullying, harassment, than he is at this point. In his presser, he focused not only on winning, but creating a positive culture in the organization.

I hate it, don't get me wrong.

This is how I feel as well, although I’m fully aware that the second paragraph could just be all spin from the Oilers. I need to see Bowman taking tangible and impactful measures as GM to improve hockey culture before I’m ready to believe it.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

@Pavel10 @ChaoticOrange here is the exact wording JJ used.

If Kyle Beach - the victim - and Sheldon Kennedy who was an ex-player and victim of serial sexual abuse who runs one of Canada’s pre-eminent sexual abuse awareness groups - are endorsing that Bowman has and continues to make positive change in the hockey world then I will give Bowman the benefit of the doubt that he has learned that silence is dangerous.

 

[Oildrum]

Where did I say I'm defending anything? Only thing I am defending is the over-reacts from people who can't seem to understand people make mistakes and when they try to improve, why shouldn't someone be given a second chance? But go ahead, block me if you wish. I don't mind.

I support giving second chances. But you don't give second chances to a guy by putting him into a position of incredible power and influence over hundreds? of people. Including many young and impressionable young men coming into your organization.

You give them a second chance by hiring them into a supporting role somewhere else.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Until this morning, I thought he wasn't resigned. I never liked the hiring as I worked with HC before and he was only about making money.

The Oilers have a lot of POSes in their front office that scratch each other's backs.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

To all the people who say they aren’t going to support the team… See you in April lol. Or next week, or tomorrow. You’ll all come around and provide some warped justification for why you’re still here following and discussing the team.

 

[McOilers97]

That's because those who were responsible and involved aren't in hockey anymore... except today.

That's kind of the point though. I doubt that more than 1% of the people that are so indescribably angry right now, do anything to benefit any kind of cause the rest of the time.

 

[timekeep]

He was, because the organization fundamentally doesn't care overall.

And thats a Katz issue, he is more guilty than he gets credit for.

 

[Ninety7]

I think you’re missing the point.

People are allowed to atone. However, just because they’re atoning does not mean they can be automatically forgiven, nor should they.

Bowman was and is an adult. He made a decision in 2010 to turn a blind eye to the sexual assault of two minors. Was it illegal? No. Was it wrong? Yes.

Either way he did commit a transgression and deserves to be punished for it. He hasn’t received any punishment that even remotely equates to the damage done to those young men. Some sins are unforgivable.

That being said if you want merit:
- Teravainen trade
- Panarin trade
- Jones contract

All 3 moves are egregious as hell. It’s like we didn’t learn anything from hiring Holland.

Yeah when you judge him on “merit” it’s more of the same as holland

Don’t understand how people can be happy with this hiring based on purely a hockey standpoint

 

[Cloned]

Not gonna lie, I’m massively disappointed with my sports teams today. First the Canada Soccer spying scandal and now this.

Moral compass getting the hammer treatment.

Just so so disappointed.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

lol at these pronouncements. You'll be back like you have been before. Oh the drama.

I suspect the bandwagon will be pretty full again come playoff time when the ankles have healed.

 

[K1984]

Yeah when you judge him on “merit” it’s more of the same as holland

Don’t understand how people can be happy with this hiring based on purely a hockey standpoint

I don't know if a single soul here is happy with it from a hockey perspective. I'm not.

Just people opining that think that giving second chances might be fair in this situation even if he isn't a great hire or candidate.

 

[dem]

@Pavel10 @ChaoticOrange here is the exact wording JJ used.

If Kyle Beach - the victim - and Sheldon Kennedy who was an ex-player and victim of serial sexual abuse who runs one of Canada’s pre-eminent sexual abuse awareness groups - are endorsing that Bowman has and continues to make positive change in the hockey world then I will give Bowman the benefit of the doubt that he has learned that silence is dangerous.

Don't interrupt the performative wokeness..

Heads must roll!!

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

That's kind of the point though. I doubt that more than 1% of the people that are so indescribably angry right now, do anything to benefit any kind of cause the rest of the time.

I didn't hire a guy who looked the other way on sexual assault.

 

[timekeep]

The Oilers have a lot of POSes in their front office that scratch each other's backs.

for sure

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I don't know if a single soul here is happy with it from a hockey perspective. I'm not.

Just people opining that think that giving second chances might be fair in this situation even if he isn't a great hire or candidate.

Just because you can give people a second chance doesn't mean you have to.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I mean, there was tons of talk of players in the locker room insulting and making fun of Beach for what happened.

Yeah. Its not Just Stan Bowman its that society changes, gets confused, values change and athletes locker rooms and sports have seldom been the heights of virtue and enlightenment. Whenever there is this kind of trackback through history it ends up applying todays mores and constructs to yesterdays problems. Historically a lot of individuals fail based on retroactive parameters. What occurred in Chicago was not isolated, and it wasn't isolated to the Hawks either. They were the ones embroiled in a court case.

In anycase forgiveness defines enlightened society.

 

[3IR]

I'm not disagreeing with you, just devil's advocate, but perhaps he's uniquely placed to change hockey culture at the NHL level, no acolyte like the converted, sort of thing

I’ll always welcome a devils advocate, and I appreciate you bringing that up because I think on the surface it could provide some type of justification. However I think when it comes to this specific situation, the risk is not to the guys who hired him, or Bowman himself, it’s to every single person in the organization who doesn’t have the luxury of being handed a golden parachute like Aldrich, or returning to their multimillion dollar a year salary running and NHL team within 2 years of being forced to step away.

When the real risk is being forced on those involved with the team and organization rather than the hire themselves, or the ones who made the hire, it becomes a lot different than hiring someone looking for a second chance who’s biggest risk is typically going to be themselves and the people who’ve hired them.

Sure the execs are taking a “risk” by risking the backlash of hiring him with all the controversy, but when you hire someone with a history of covering for an abuser, you send a message to everyone below you that you’re willing to put all of them at risk of being the next “John Doe”. That’s not a risk anyone should be allowed to force onto anyone else, especially when the ones suddenly at risk are people who likely don’t have the luxury of being able to simply just find somewhere else to go.

 

[Canovin]

I think you’re missing the point.

People are allowed to atone. However, just because they’re atoning does not mean they can be automatically forgiven, nor should they.

Bowman was and is an adult. He made a decision in 2010 to turn a blind eye to the sexual assault of two minors. Was it illegal? No. Was it wrong? Yes.

Either way he did commit a transgression and deserves to be punished for it. He hasn’t received any punishment that even remotely equates to the damage done to those young men. Some sins are unforgivable.

That being said if you want merit:
- Teravainen trade
- Panarin trade
- Jones contract

All 3 moves are egregious as hell. It’s like we didn’t learn anything from hiring Holland.

Panarin trade kind of cancel itself out. Bowman did sign him and got back an useful player in Saad.

Jones is like Nurse deal.
Bowman traded Teravainen for 2 x 2nd
Holland traded 2 x 2nd for AA

Bowman did similar things to Holland. Holland had a chance to redeem himself tho. He got us Ekholm, Hyman, Barrie, Kane, Henrique

 

[Drivesaitl]

This org hired Craig Mactavish. I'm going to hold my breath forever until I turn red and pass out.





Blast form the past for humor and if there was internet around we'd be hearing the same sort of things but in water cooler talk such talk reaction and vitriol was common even back then.

Gee I can't wait to hear what Spittin Chiclets says about this.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I hope that JJ wanted to hire a figurehead GM who would handle the day to day but JJ would make all important decisions. Maybe every decent candidate wouldn't agree to being just a pawn, so they hired this guy.

my thought too
maybe no one else "experienced" was willing to to be a glorified puppet for JJ and co.