Frustrated Oilers fans post 'Lowe must go' newspaper ad
Advertisement is latest in series of public pleas for Oilers management to fire Kevin Lowe
An organization calling itself “The Kevin Lowe Must Go Facebook group” has taken out a full-page ad in the Edmonton Sun begging the Oilers’ owner to fire the hockey operations president.
The 330-word-long missive declares it’s time for changes to be made at the highest level of the Oilers organization, pointing out that Lowe is the only individual that has been with the team through its past nine years of heartache and “sub par performance.”
“The laundry list of fired coaches, general managers, equipment managers, trainers, and players is evidence that there is only one man who remains untouchable and unaccountable in this organization – Kevin Lowe,” it reads.
This is not the first time the group has gone public with their displeasure over the team’s management.
In January 2014, an SUV pulling a “KEVIN LOWE MUST GO” sign parked outside the Oilers’ head office for hours after owner Daryl Katz posted a letter to fans asking them to stay the course.
In November, the group also paid for a billboard reading "This is as Lowe as we go!!" to be lit up near Argyll Road.
The group’s Facebook page now has more than 16,000 likes – and want more.
“Seeing how many likes we can get to create some publicity to get Kevin Lowe fired. No commitment or sales pitch, just like and share if you want Lowe gone,” the “About” section reads.
Last week, the team fired head coach Dallas Eakins with management saying something had to be done after the team's losses started piling up.
Craig MacTavish will take over as head coach on a transitional basis before handing the reins to Todd Nelson, who is being promoted to interim head coach from Edmonton's American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City.
Read the full letter:
| Dear Mr. Katz: We have listened to the promise of better times to come and stood vigilantly by this management group for far too long now. Changes need to be made at the highest level of the Oilers organization before this time can ever expect to improve on the ice. The laundry list of fired coaches, general managers, equipment managers, trainers, and players is evidence that there is only one man who remains untouchable and unaccountable in this organization – Kevin Lowe. No one man has been with the organization through the entirety of the nine years of sub par performance other than Mr. Lowe. If you expect accountability from the player on the ice, then must be accountability from management off the ice. A barrier has developed in the minds of Edmonton Oilers fans over the past eight-and-a-half years of missed playoffs and low place finishes. On one hand we support our players, on the other, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe in this team so long as Kevin Lowe remains a part of the organization. Mr. Lowe needs to be removed from this organization immediately. This is not in any way directed at Kevin Lowe as a hockey player and his 6 Stanley Cup rings, or Kevin Lowe as a person. This letter is highlighting the deficiency in the team created by allowing Mr. Low as a person. This letter is highlighting the deficiency in the team created by allowing Mr. Lowe a seemingly infinite amount of time and resources to build a quality hockey team. This has created a losing culture that now accepts repeated failure as a part of the process. We have been loyal to the Oilers throughout many years of hardship. It is time for you to show that you not only hear what we are saying, but that you care about holding your management group accountable, so that the city may once again enjoy watching a competitive NHL hockey team. Signed: The Fans Brought to you by: The Kevin Lowe Must Go Facebook group |