The backlash to the Edmonton Oilers‘ signing of Alex Formenton hasn’t slowed down. It’s accelerating.
A petition calling on the club to reverse the one-year, $850,000 contract has now passed 60,000 verified signatures, with more than 6,600 added in a single day. It was launched on September 10 by longtime Oilers supporter Mary Loewen, better known to fans as “Mama Stanley” for the sequined Stanley Cup costume she wears to playoff games, after she announced she could no longer cheer for the team.
Alex Formenton petition
The growth has been steep – roughly 4,000 names by Thursday afternoon, around 19,000 by Friday morning, and past 60,000 since.
Loewen, who has followed the Oilers since the dynasty years of the 1980s and has spoken publicly about being a sexual assault survivor, was careful in how the petition was worded.
“We acknowledge clearly and without qualification that Alex Formenton was acquitted in court in 2025. This petition does not challenge that verdict, nor does it declare him guilty,” it reads. “A criminal trial determines whether the Crown proved criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt. It does not require fans, survivors, sponsors, or community members to support every employment and roster decision made afterward.”
The petition asks the organization to take “every lawful and contractually available step” to end Formenton’s affiliation with the team, to explain publicly how the decision was made, and to adopt survivor-informed standards for future signings.
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Formenton was one of five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team charged in connection with an incident following a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario. All five were acquitted in July 2025 and later reinstated by the NHL, though the league said the conduct at issue fell “woefully short” of its standards. An independent appeal board ruled last month that all five had breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct, with Formenton the only one eligible for immediate reinstatement to Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs.
Edmonton has stood by the move, pointing to those reinstatements and what the team described as a “lengthy due diligence process,” with general manager Stan Bowman saying the organization believes Formenton deserves a chance to return to the league.
Formenton’s comments
Formenton, a 26-year-old Barrie, Ontario native, addressed his situation after signing.
“It was a difficult road. It was tough on my family and me personally,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here today and I’m looking forward to making the most out of it.”
He has 23 goals and 16 assists in 109 NHL games, all with Ottawa, and hasn’t played in the league since 2021-22. Of the other four players, Carter Hart signed with Vegas last season and Dillon Dube joined St. Louis in July.
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