The Oilers hiring disgraced ex-Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman is just business as usual for the NHL

When it came time for the Chicago Blackhawks to decide whether or not sexual assault against one of their own players should even be reported to the authorities just as the team clinched a spot in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, general manager Stan Bowman was one of seven members of Chicago's front office to turn their heads and look the other way.

When it came time for the Edmonton Oilers to pick themselves back up after a devastating loss in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, they turned to Bowman.

Make no mistake, someone would've hired him sooner if they could. The NHL reinstated Bowman on July 1 after exiling him for nearly three years following the Brad Aldrich scandal in Chicago. Former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and executive Al MacIsaac were reinstated, too, and it's hard to imagine they won't find gainful employment in hockey's top circuit soon enough.