Mary Loewen has been an Oilers fan since the mid-1980s. In recent years she became Mama Stanley, appearing at games dressed as a sequined Stanley Cup, posing for photographs with fans who travel from as far as Germany and Australia.
On Wednesday she said she's done, for as long as Alex Formenton is on the roster.
"I am deeply disappointed by the Edmonton Oilers' decision to sign Alex Formenton," Loewen wrote on Instagram. "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."
"For that reason, as long as Formenton remains an Oiler, I CANNOT AND WILL NOT support or cheer for this team."
What she said about the players
Loewen drew a line between the roster and the front office.
"This isn't about the players who have been there. I will always love my boys," she wrote. "This is about the organization's decision to bring in this one player. I just cannot support that decision."
"I did not make this choice lightly or simply out of anger. I've cried in waves because I feel betrayed by an organization I have proudly loved and represented for years."
"Losing Game 7 two years ago meant losing a Stanley Cup. This feels like losing a team I have loved with my heart for most of my life."
The persona isn't going anywhere
She was direct about that.
"I am still Mama Stanley," she wrote. "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."
Her post didn't say whether she would support another team.
She launched a petition Thursday
On Thursday, Loewen started an online petition calling on the Oilers to end Formenton's affiliation with the team.
That's a step beyond the Wednesday post, which announced a personal decision. The petition asks the organization to reverse one.
The signing
The Oilers announced Formenton on September 9, a one-year contract worth US$850,000.
It's his return to the NHL after three seasons with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland.
"I'm grateful," Formenton said after the signing, describing what he called a difficult road.
General manager Stan Bowman pointed to Formenton's reinstatement by Hockey Canada when explaining the decision.
What happened in the case
Formenton was one of five players from Canada's 2018 world junior team charged with sexual assault, stemming from an encounter with a woman following a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario.
All five were acquitted at trial in 2025.
That's worth stating precisely, because it has been reported incorrectly elsewhere. The charges were not dropped or withdrawn. The case went to trial and the players were found not guilty.
Formenton was subsequently reinstated by Hockey Canada.
Loewen's position isn't a claim about the verdict. She acknowledged the acquittal in her first sentence and framed her decision as a matter of conscience about a signing, not a dispute with a court.
Who Mama Stanley is
The reason this landed the way it did has to do with what the persona has come to represent in Edmonton.
Loewen caught Oiler fever during the team's mid-1980s heyday, when it won the first of five Stanley Cups. The Mama Stanley character came much later, and it grew beyond a costume.
She became a fixture at playoff games, and the sequined Cup made her recognizable enough that fans line up for photos. Her following extends well past Alberta.
In her post, she described what the persona stands for in her own words: belief, kindness, children, survivors and community.
That last one is the reason her statement carries weight. She wasn't a fan who happened to be a survivor. She built a public character partly around survivors, which is why staying quiet wasn't available to her.
The reaction has been broad
Loewen is the most recognizable name among those objecting, but she isn't alone.
"The initial reaction from the fan base has been really, from what I've seen on social media, pretty overwhelmingly negative," Daily Hive sports journalist Preston Hodgkinson told CBC News.
The Oilers' own Instagram post announcing the signing drew a substantial volume of critical comments.
The Oilers are writing back
This is the part that hasn't been widely reported.
The organization is defending the signing in direct emails to fans who have complained about it, according to The Globe and Mail.
That's an unusual step. Teams typically absorb fan criticism without engaging individually, and a decision to respond one-to-one suggests the volume of complaints is significant enough that the club felt a response was necessary.
Where the team is
The Oilers were eliminated in the first round of last season's playoffs, losing Game 6 to the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025, losing to the Florida Panthers each time.
Training camp opens shortly.
What happens next
Loewen has not responded to interview requests.
The Oilers have not indicated any reconsideration, and Formenton remains under contract.
Sources
Mary Loewen, public Instagram post
Edmonton Oilers, signing announcement, September 9, 2026
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