July 29, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

I referenced writing a piece about how the Edmonton Oilers can demonstrate a commitment to improving hockey culture and doing something meaningful for the Edmonton community at the end of my piece about last Wednesday’s introductory press conference for Oilers General Manager and Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman. Like many Oilers fans, I’m disappointed in the decision to hire Bowman because of his actions in 2010 and what the organization’s decision to bring him aboard says about those actions.

Related: Deep Dive: Bowman’s Oilers introduction press conference

Despite that, I see an opportunity for something good to come out of all of this. I have composed open letters to Mr. Bowman, Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson, and Oilers owner Daryl Katz outlining my disappointment and encouraging them all to demonstrate a desire to improve the organization, their community, and hockey culture by becoming leading voices in increasing awareness and prevention of sexual assault. My letter to Mr. Bowman is below, and my letters to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Katz will appear in part two of this piece.

Related: Open letters to Bowman, Jackson, and Katz: Part Two – To Mr. Jackson and Mr. Katz

To Mr. Bowman,

While I’m glad to hear that you have demonstrated a genuine desire to learn from your mistakes through your work with Sheldon Kennedy and the Respect Group, the fact remains that you made a significant mistake.

What’s done is done, and we can’t change the past. All you can control are your future actions. 

You said that you are “looking forward to a chance to make a difference in the organization” during your introductory press conference. You also said that the only way to improve the culture of hockey is to “learn from the mistakes that we made and try to improve, and I’m committed to that.” You then added that “I know how important it is that I be a true leader, and that’s something that I’m excited about and that I look forward to.”

Jason Gregor asked “are you going to be able to use your position to further the cause to change it, and if so, how?”, and you said “[w]ell I want to, Jason. What I really believe in is there is ability to make change and to learn from situations and to grow from them.” 

You then went on to talk about the charter that you’ve made for teams with the Respect Group to address not only sexual assault, but also harassment, hazing, and bullying within teams. Those are important issues that need to be addressed, and they will help with addressing some of the issues that exist in hockey culture, but I feel that your response didn’t quite answer Mr. Gregor’s question. My interpretation was that Mr. Gregor was referring to the issue of sexual assault in society as a whole. I base that on the fact that his question to you about how you might use your position to further the cause was a follow up to a question that was about sexual assault, and on the fact that Mr. Gregor wrote a piece where he spoke quite openly about the issue of sexual assault.

You closed your response to Mr. Gregor’s question by saying that “[t]his isn’t something that I’m not going to help out anymore, like I want to give my time and I want to be devoted to that stuff.” Once again, it felt like you were referring to your work with the Respect Group and on the charter that you referenced. I view that as positive work, but you have an opportunity to do something so much more meaningful in addition to that work.

You talked about the importance of fan support in your opening remarks. When asked for your thoughts on the fans’ negative attitude towards you and your hiring, you said that “[w]hat I would say is it’s going to be my job to try to win them over. The goal is to try to do it through your actions as opposed to what you’re saying.”

Whether you like it or not, your name will always be tied to sexual assault. Multiple incidences of sexual assault in hockey have brought the issue into the spotlight, but we shouldn’t only be talking about these issues when they are in the spotlight. 

You said that you know how important it is to be a true leader here? You have a chance. You said that you want to use your position to further the cause to change it? You have a chance. You said that you want to give your time and to be devoted to that stuff? You have a chance. You said that your job is to try to win the fans over through your actions? That’s going to be a tall task, but you have a chance.

You have a chance to be a loud voice for sexual assault awareness and prevention. Sexual assault happens all over the place, not just in hockey. Going the extra mile by being a vocal leader for sexual assault awareness and prevention in all facets of society would be a great way for you to back your words up with actions.

The Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) provides free counselling for victims of sexual assault, and they provide education about sexual assault to prevent future instances of sexual assault. They released the following statement the day that your hiring was announced:

SACE statement on the Edmonton Oilers hiring Stan Bowman. #Edmonton #Oilers pic.twitter.com/nJMScz0bac

— SACE (@sacetalks) July 24, 2024

I sincerely hope that your gratitude for being allowed another opportunity to hold such a powerful position with an NHL team will propel you to back up your words by becoming a leader in raising sexual assault awareness and increasing prevention. Supporting SACE would be the best way to accomplish that.

You can find my letters to Mr. Jackson and Mr. Katz in part two of this piece.