Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson addresses rumors of Stan Bowman hire after controversial exec's official NHL reinstatement

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jul 04, 2024 07:36 GMT

Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson responded to the rumors about Stan Bowman potentially joining the team following his controversial reinstatement.

The NHL has reinstated the former Chicago Blackhawks general manager, along with head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant general manager Al Maclsaac over two years after they stepped down due to an investigation into their handling of sexual assault allegations raised by former player Kyle Beach.

On Monday, the NHL announced that all three individuals are now able to engage in discussions with teams regarding potential employment opportunities. They are permitted to accept new positions from July 10.

Jeff Jackson mentioned that due to a busy schedule, drafts, and free agency, he caught up with the news late. He said (via Edmonton Oilers on X):

"To be honest, I was so busy today that I only heard about it after we finished some things we were trying to get done. I haven't really thought about it. Stan is a long-time GM and successful, and the NHL reinstated all three guys today. I'm running a bit on fumes with the schedule of the playoffs, draft, and free agency, so I haven't given it any thought."

Jackson expressed the need to take a few days to decompress before focusing on the GM search and refrained from commenting on the situation at that moment.

"I need to decompress for a couple of days and then move forward with my GM search. So, I can't comment right now," he added.

NHL releases statement regarding Stan Bowman and others

The NHL said in a statement that all three individuals have recognized and utilized their time away from the game to participate in activities that show genuine remorse for past activities.

"While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership," the NHL said.

"Moreover each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse."

Stan Bowman and Al Maclsaac stepped down from their positions with the Hawks in October 2021 following the publication of an internal investigation conducted by the team.

The investigation revealed that the organization mishandled the allegations made by Kyle Beach, who alleged that he was sexually assaulted by former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.