- Oilers superfan “Mama Stanley” says she will not cheer for Edmonton while Alex Formenton is on the roster
- Mary Loewen, a sexual assault survivor, posted her decision to Instagram after the signing
- Read below for her statement and what the Oilers are telling fans who complained about the signing
The most recognizable fan in Edmonton is walking away.
Mary Loewen, known around Rogers Place as “Mama Stanley” for the silver Stanley Cup getup she wears to games and watch parties, said she will not support the Oilers as long as Alex Formenton is on the roster. She posted the decision to Instagram hours after Edmonton signed Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract.
Loewen laid out why the move was her breaking point.
“I am deeply disappointed by the Edmonton Oilers’ decision to sign Alex Formenton. Although he was acquitted in court, I cannot ignore my conscience or what this decision represents to me. As a sexual assault survivor, I must stand by my morals and stand with the woman at the centre of this case.”
Here is her full statement:
She drew a clear line between the room and the front office, writing that her decision was about management bringing in one player and not about the teammates she has cheered for years.
A fan since the dynasty years of the mid-1980s, she turned the Mama Stanley character into a fixture of the last two Cup runs, posing for pictures with supporters who travel from as far as Germany and Australia. The costume is staying.
“Mama Stanley belongs to ME, not the Edmonton Oilers organization. She represents BELIEVE, kindness, children, survivors and community. I will not abandon her or EVER compromise her values.”
Formenton was one of five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team charged over an encounter with a woman after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario. All five were acquitted at trial last year, and the NHL reinstated them to play as of Dec. 1, 2025.
Edmonton is not backing down. The club has been answering complaints directly, and The Canadian Press reported that its ticketing and customer service staff told one fan the organization reviewed the legal proceedings, the NHL and Hockey Canada processes and “all of the information available” before signing him.
“The team also spoke directly to Alex and those close to the matter.”
The email went on to say the club was “comfortable providing Alex with the opportunity to return to the NHL as a member of the Edmonton Oilers,” and that he is expected to uphold the same standards as every other player on the roster.
Our own post on the signing pointed at the gap that makes this such a jolt for the fan base. Formenton has not played an NHL game since April 2022:
He spent three of the past four seasons with Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland, putting up 13 goals and 23 points in 42 games last year. He is the third of the five to sign an NHL deal since reinstatement, following Carter Hart in Vegas and Dillon Dube in St. Louis.
Loewen did not say whether she will pull for anyone else this season. She only said the Oilers are out.
