(Edmonton) The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that Kevin Lowe is retiring from his role as team manager.
Updated yesterday at 5:13 p.m.
Lowe spent more than 40 years with the Oilers organization. In recent years, he was its vice president and an assistant governor.
“It’s an exciting time,” Lowe said. I want to spend some more time with the family [il a cinq enfants et deux petits-enfants], and maybe travel a bit more. I figured it might as well start now. You never know what tomorrow will bring. »
He will continue to act as an ambassador for the team in addition to having many projects, in addition to those mentioned above.
“I would like to give lectures and I would like to write a book. I’ll keep myself busy, Lowe said. I will enjoy becoming more free with my time. »
A native of Lachute, Que., 63, Lowe was the first player drafted by the Oilers when they joined the NHL in 1979.
He won the Stanley Cup five times with the team.
He hung up his skates in 1998 after amassing 431 points in 1,254 NHL games with the Oilers and New York Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup for the sixth time with the Rangers in 1994.
Lowe served as the Oilers’ head coach in the 1999-00 campaign and then the team’s general manager from 2000 to 2008.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 and received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2021.
The Oilers retired his number 4 in November 2021.
“Very few people have had as much of an impact as Kevin, on and off the ice,” Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson said in a statement. He embodies leadership. He has done a great deal to reach out to supporters and support important causes in the community.
“We salute his fabulous career and we look forward to seeing the rest of his journey. »