A week after the Edmonton Oilers signed Alex Formenton, general manager Stan Bowman finally faced questions about it – and he didn’t pretend to be surprised by the reaction.
The backlash has been substantial. A petition calling on the club to reverse the one-year, $850,000 contract has passed 65,000 signatures, longtime superfan Mary Loewen announced she would no longer support the team, and a protest is planned for Saturday ahead of Edmonton’s first pre-season game.
Bowman on Alex Formenton
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday ahead of training camp, Bowman spent a large chunk of a 30-minute availability on the topic.
“We knew going into it that this was something that wasn’t going to be universally accepted or embraced,” Bowman said. “That was why we spent as much time as we did going through the details of it and going through our due diligence to make sure we believed it was the right decision to make.”
The most substantive part of his explanation centered on why Edmonton was willing to sign Formenton specifically, rather than any of the other four players acquitted in the same case. Formenton was the only one of the five eligible for immediate reinstatement by Hockey Canada, and Bowman said the organization looked closely into why.
“We spent a lot of time finding out why there was a different treatment of Alex than there was of the other players,” Bowman said. “There were specific reasons why that was the case, which gave us the willingness to move forward with Alex relative to the other players. The people at Hockey Canada, they were very close to it, and they had a lot of information that isn’t out there in the public.”
Bowman ‘understands strong feelings’
He also made clear he isn’t asking anyone to come around to the decision.
“I understand that people are going to view it differently, and that’s okay,” Bowman said. “That’s one of the things that I’m a big believer in is that we don’t all have to agree on everything here, and people are entitled to their opinions, and they have strong feelings on it, and I totally respect that.”
READ MORE: Oilers superfan ‘Mama Stanley’ is done cheering for the team
Bowman was asked about the perception that the Oilers have become a landing spot for second chances, something he’s been part of himself. He resigned from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021 over his role in the organization’s handling of Kyle Beach’s sexual assault allegations before Edmonton hired him in 2024. Controversial head coach Mike Babcock also arrived with a complicated history.
“I understand that some people maybe do have fatigue from that. That’s understandable,” Bowman said. “I think each person is going to have to navigate that the way that feels right to them. It’s not for me to say whether they should or shouldn’t feel a certain way.”
Bowman added that he hopes Formenton can change people’s minds through his conduct going forward. Edmonton opens its pre-season schedule on Saturday.
READ MORE: Oilers’ Alex Formenton petition passes 60,000 signatures
