Timing seems a bit too suspicious.
Lowe of course wanted to wait until he somehow convinced enough journalists after 25 years to vote him in, and as that is the requirement for a jersey retirement with the Oilers (which he then did before officially being in the hall of fame).
His ego is the only thing that kept him in the job, even after being pushed to the shadows for a few years when they hired Chia), and the assumption would be that he would make a final tour of the league to get the pats on the back to feed that ego.
So now to quietly bow out? Wonder if he's hooked in with HC and or the Katz situation a little closer then he would like to be and pops out of the spotlight now?
He's not really gone, as the ambassador role he will fully utilize. He still had the ear of Katz, as he has had throughout his ownership and when he wants to get involved he will pull rank, but it sounds like he's hovering less.
He's the single reason the Oilers have been the toliet of the league, and made as unattractive to players in the league. That spawned them all those high draft picks, and even with two top players still have to overlay and overcomitt to get players to go there or stay. His meddling with players directly, trying so hard to be their hockey dad like Sather was to him, undermined the GM and coach year after year and a reason for such dysfunction and zero leadership.
|