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A beloved Edmonton Oilers superfan has publicly cut ties with the team following its decision to sign Alex Formenton, a former Team Canada junior player acquitted of sexual assault last year. Mary Loewen, widely known among fans as “Mama Stanley,” announced on social media Wednesday that she can no longer support the Oilers after the club confirmed Formenton’s signing.
“I am deeply disappointed by the Edmonton Oilers’ decision to sign Alex Formenton,” Loewen wrote in her post. “Although he was acquitted in court, I cannot ignore my conscience or what this decision represents to me.”
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Loewen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Formenton Signs One-Year Deal
The Oilers announced Wednesday they had signed Formenton to a one-year contract worth US$850,000. Formenton was one of five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team accused of sexual assault following an encounter with a woman after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario. Charges against all five players were eventually dropped, and the NHL later reinstated them.
After the signing, Formenton described his path back to professional hockey as a “difficult road” and said he was grateful for the opportunity to join the team.
A Fan Icon Steps Away
Loewen first fell in love with the Oilers during the team’s dominant mid-1980s era, when Edmonton won the first of its five Stanley Cup championships. In recent years, she built a well-known persona by dressing in a sequined Stanley Cup costume at games during the playoffs. Fellow fans regularly posed for photos with her, and her following extended as far as Germany and Australia.
In her post, Loewen made clear that her decision targets management’s choice to bring Formenton on board. She said her stance has nothing to do with the team’s existing players. Furthermore, she described feeling personally betrayed after supporting the franchise for most of her life.
“As a sexual assault survivor, I must stand by my morals and stand with the woman at the centre of this case,” she wrote. “For that reason, as long as Formenton remains an Oiler, I CANNOT AND WILL NOT support or cheer for this team.”
Mama Stanley Lives On
Loewen did not indicate in her post whether she plans to support another NHL team. However, she was firm that her “Mama Stanley” identity remains her own. She closed her message by separating the persona from the organization entirely.
“Mama Stanley belongs to ME — not the Edmonton Oilers organization,” she wrote. “She represents BELIEVE, kindness, children, survivors and community. I will not abandon her or EVER compromise her values.”
The Oilers endured a difficult recent stretch on the ice as well. The team fell in the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025 to the Florida Panthers. Most recently, Edmonton lost in the first round of last season’s playoffs, falling to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 by a score of 5–2.
