Protesters bolstered by the appearance of longtime Edmonton Oilers superfan Mama Stanley gathered downtown on Saturday before the first of four preseason games. By just after 6 p.m. Saturday, nearly 100 people had gathered outside Rogers Place, chanting, “No means no,” as the game began. Controversy has swirled around the team for weeks, with anger re-ignited by the signing of forward Alex Formenton, one of the five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team who was charged and later acquitted of sexual assault. “We started off with just a small group of survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault. Many of us are longtime Oilers fans,” Charlene Mack said. She was surprised at the turnout. “That is a big thing because what are we saying to junior hockey players, who are representing a country. Something happens, and how do we reward them? They get to play alongside one of the greatest players of all time, Connor McDavid.” Mary Loewen, known for her superfan Oilers persona Mama Stanley, announced her disappointment with Formenton’s addition earlier this month and said she would not support the team so long as he was signed. On Saturday, she addressed the crowd dressed in her usual glittery Stanley Cup garb. “I want to thank every single one of you for being here today. Everyone standing here with us, everyone supporting us from home, and everyone who has stood beside survivors in all of this,” she said from a megaphone. “Before anything else, I am a survivor. We are standing here peacefully today because survivors have spoken. Fans have pleaded with Edmonton Oilers to listen, and this organization has chosen to move forward as though our voices do not matter.” She also told the crowd that, since her announcement, many had messaged her privately to tell her their own stories, which they had not shared ever before. “Your story belongs to you and only you. I see you, I hear you, I believe you and I love you,” Mama Stanley added. Mama Stanley’s announcement came jointly with a wave of support for survivors of sexual violence and public denouncements of the team, including petitions – some of which are said to have garnered tens of thousands of signatures – asking the Oilers to end their affiliation with Formenton. Upon news of the signing and subsequent public backlash, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman told reporters everyone was entitled to their opinion but the Oilers had done their due diligence before signing Formenton to a one-year, US$850,000 contract. Formenton’s new teammates, including Connor McDavid, have since rallied around the 27-year-old, telling media he had gone through a “process,” had been transparent about the process, and the signing was a “great opportunity for him.” Bowman added that the Oilers is a home for players needing an opportunity, citing recent hires like head coach Mike Babcock, whom the National Hockey League cleared months ago following an investigation into his tenure as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, where he allegedly infringed on players’ privacy. Bowman himself resigned as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2021 after an investigation found team leaders covered up sexual assault allegations against a video coach. “There have been situations in the past several years where the Oilers have been willing to give people an opportunity to come here and get a fresh start,” Bowman said. OEG Sports and Entertainment, which further oversees the Oilers franchise, said in a statement earlier this month that the organization had followed a lengthy due diligence process that included “legal proceedings, NHL and Hockey Canada processes … and all of the information available before making its decision.” In the time since, the group has not commented on Formenton’s signing as scheduled Fan Days and games commence. The Oilers play the Winnipeg Jets Saturday evening, the first of four preseason games featuring a training-camp lineup. With files from the Canadian Press and CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
