EDMONTON – An online petition calling on the Edmonton Oilers to reverse the signing of Alex Formenton had collected more than 19,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
The petition was started by longtime Oilers superfan Mary Loewen, known as “Mama Stanley,” who said this week she would no longer support the team while Formenton remains on the roster.
The Oilers signed Formenton to a one-year, US$850,000 contract Wednesday. He was one of five former Canadian world junior players acquitted last year of sexual assault charges stemming from an encounter with a woman after a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont.
“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,” the petition says.
“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 Oilers have defended the signing, citing Formenton’s acquittal and reinstatement by the NHL and Hockey Canada, along with what the team called a “lengthy due diligence process.”
In an email to fans, the team’s ticketing and customer service department said the organization reviewed the legal proceedings, the NHL and Hockey Canada processes and “all of the information available” before making its decision.
-
![]()
Edmonton Oilers sign 2018 world junior player Alex Formenton -
![]()
Three women join NHL development camp roster for first time -
![]()
Mike Babcock grateful to join Edmonton Oilers as head coach -
![]()
Edmonton Oilers potential new coach Mike Babcock comes with controversy -
![]()
Edmonton Oilers fans grieve early exit from Stanley Cup Playoffs -
![]()
Canadian teams continue battling through the playoffs -
![]()
Items stolen from Edmonton Oilers fan’s fence shrine -
![]()
Excitement brews for Oilers players and fans ahead of playoffs -
![]()
Hockey fans and businesses prepping for Edmonton Oilers playoff run -
![]()
Habs, Oilers, Senators look to end Canada’s Stanley Cup drought
The Oilers said they also spoke directly with Formenton and others close to the matter and were “comfortable providing Alex with the opportunity to return to the NHL as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.”
Get daily National news
“Alex is grateful for the opportunity and, like every Oilers player, he is expected to uphold the standards and expectations of our organization,” the team wrote. “The Edmonton Oilers remain committed to fostering a respectful, professional and positive environment for our players, staff and fans.”
The NHL reinstated Formenton and the four other players last year, allowing them to resume playing beginning Dec. 1, 2025. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said this week that Formenton faced no additional league requirements before signing with Edmonton.
An independent appeal board ruled last month that all five players breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct. Formenton, however, was the only one eligible for immediate reinstatement from suspension from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs.
The board recommended continued bans for Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod.
Hart signed with the Vegas Golden Knights last season and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup final, while Dube signed with the St. Louis Blues in July.
Formenton, 26, spent three of the previous four seasons playing in Switzerland and the other out of hockey. The Barrie, Ont., native had 23 goals and 16 assists in 109 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators before leaving the league.
“It was a difficult road,” Formenton said Wednesday. “It was tough on my family and me personally. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here today and I’m looking forward to making the most out of it.”
Loewen has supported the Oilers since the team’s championship years in the 1980s and in recent seasons became a familiar presence at games dressed as a sequined Stanley Cup.
The petition calls on the Oilers to take “every lawful and contractually available step” to reverse the signing. It also asks the organization to explain publicly how the decision was made and adopt survivor-informed standards for future signings.
The Formenton signing is the Oilers’ second high-profile move this off-season involving a figure with a controversial recent history.
Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman hired Mike Babcock as head coach in June after the NHL cleared the move. Babcock had not coached an NHL game in seven years and had resigned from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before coaching a game with the team amid an investigation into reports he invaded players’ privacy.
Bowman’s own hiring in 2024 also drew scrutiny. He had resigned as general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021 after an independent investigation found the organization mishandled allegations that a video coach sexually assaulted player Kyle Beach. The NHL reinstated Bowman shortly before Edmonton hired him.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.
It’s like most of you didn’t grow up around hockey. These kids are taught to do violence and when they do, you’re shocked.
So far, the only people I have seen defending this deal, are the exact people who would have been in that room.
Well then, those people should totally boycott all games and put the screws to Katz and make him suffer fiscally or shut up and enjoy another no cup year for Canada!
So many ugly things being posted by vulgar people who are incredibly ignorant.
Puck bunny was found to be a lying wh0re… she initiated the sex and got what she wanted, then even got paid off… FACT, she’s is nothing but a lying wh0re. Read the court transcripts. Should release her name and photo.
Oh, stop it!
It’s a one year contract, an opportunity for a talented still young hockey player to rebuild a once promising career.
Nobody condones his past, he’s very aware of it and very aware of how it has changed him as a human being.
Credit should go to the Edmonton Oilers for reaching out and giving him a hand up.
Alex Formenton obviously erred in judgement as a junior forward along with some of his teammates. His past actions should not be taken and used as a role model for young men. His future actions will determine if he meets those standards. The Oilers have started him on his future. Good on them.
We forgive sports idols all the time for past egregious acts.
Tiger Woods should never be used as a role model or as a hero for encouraging others to be better, yet fans and media fawn over him every opportunity they get.
Alex Formenton is being given a second chance, let the guy play.
How about a petition to get rid of Bowman?
They should not have signed him to Edmonton.
Great signing. He was highly touted and Edmonton picked him up for a song.
Typical move by a classless organization. Just look at Bowman’s and Babcock’s history.
Guarantee every brainlet that signed this also supports Lindsay Clancy.
Not really the kind of people we should be putting much stock into…
In canada, even if your found not guilty, you are still guilty if your a man.
As long as you have a penis, you are trash in the eyes of liberal wokeism..,.
Apparently people do not understand the definition of acquitted and do not believe in the calue of truth.
really adisgruntled who me advocate well miss you at the games or will we
is was acquitted, thats it folks
And one wonders how many of these people who signed pay to watch them play….
People whining is not news and articles with no name in the byline have zero credibility
I have, from a reliable source, that 18,997 of those that signed the petition also sympathize with Lindsay Clancy. Do with that what you will.
I once kicked a dog. Am I ever allowed to work again? Or should I just go die in the gutter with Alex?
Canada has developed substantial protections for complainants’ privacy, but what protections exist to prevent an accused person who is ultimately acquitted from suffering a permanent reputational and employment penalty based on allegations that were never proven?
Innocent in a court of law. Time to move on. The “victim” was found to be dishonest. A fun night for her turned out to be a mistake. She should have thought about this before she participated. Maybe next time she’ll give it more thought. Poor little puck bunny.
Meh, this is just a handful of far-left nuts that each use 100 different screen names.
He and the other players were found not quilty, accept the verdict and move on. Remember there are always two stories to every story. Theirs were not told only the supposed victim who was forced by a female police officer to bring up charges
I love online petitions. So accurate and relevant.
Why, I sign the ones I like ten or twenty times.
Sex offender
Sex offender trash
Bravo
How do we praise horrible people just because they are good at sports? What exactly are we celebrtaing?