Welcome to Oilersnation’s top 15 stories of the year, where we count down the most-read stories you, the reader, clicked on in 2024.
Number eight in the countdown came in the fallout of the Edmonton Oilers hiring Stan Bowman as their general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations. The Oilers had announced the move on July 24th, the day this article was written, and fans quickly took to social media to express their displeasure with the move.
Edmonton Oilers fans wasted little time in expressing their dismay at the club hiring former Chicago Blackhawks executive Stan Bowman as their new general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations on Wednesday.The tweet announcing Bowman’s hiring amassed more than 1,500 replies and 1,200 quotes by 10:00 a.m. MT on Wednesday, just over two hours after the club posted it.The majority of the commenters took issue with the Oilers hiring an executive who was barred from working in the NHL for more than two years for his failure to appropriately handle the alleged sexual assault of former Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach during Chicago’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final — inaction that allowed the perpetrator, then-Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, to commit further acts of abuse.
Gould’s post highlighted some comments on Reddit and X, then known as Twitter.
One Reddit user said he “cancelled his subscriptions,” saying the move was “really too bad,” lowering his excitement for this upcoming season, while others echoed similar comments. While the public backlash has faded to Bowman’s hiring, there’s surely still a contingent of the fanbase who don’t approve of the move.
Top 15 articles of 2024
- No. 15: Corey Perry, Evander Kane exchange words on the bench
- No. 14: Oilersnation pranks fans by saying Ken Holland signed extension
- No. 13: Adding Corey Perry “changes the outlook” of Oilers’ trade deadline, could “open the door” for Jack Campbell move
- No. 12: ‘I wouldn’t have gone out there for a million dollars’: Connor McDavid talks about declining to accept Conn Smythe
- No. 11: Rumours swirled at draft Oilers asked Evander Kane to waive no-movement clause
- No. 10: Connor McDavid ranked 3rd, Leon Draisaitl 13th on ESPN’s list of Top 25 NHL players of the 21st century
- No. 9: ‘I’m going to do what’s best for me’: Oilers star Leon Draisaitl opens up on then-expiring contract
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
