Edmonton superfan 'Mama Stanley' quits Oilers over Formenton signing
Mary Loewen, known for dressing as a sequined Stanley Cup at games, says she will no longer support the Oilers after the team signed Alex Formenton, one of five former world junior players once accused of sexual assault.
Longtime Edmonton Oilers superfan Mary Loewen, known to fans as "Mama Stanley," says she is done supporting the team after it signed forward Alex Formenton to a one-year, US$850,000 contract on Wednesday. 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, Ont. He was acquitted last year, and the NHL later reinstated all five players after the charges were dropped.
In a social media post, Loewen said she was "deeply disappointed" by management's decision and that she could not ignore her conscience despite the acquittal. She described herself as a sexual assault survivor and said she must "stand with the woman at the centre of this case," adding she cannot and will not support or cheer for the Oilers as long as Formenton remains on the roster.
Loewen has followed the Oilers since the team's mid-1980s championship era and developed her sequined Stanley Cup persona in recent years, becoming a regular presence at games with fans as far away as Germany and Australia posing for photos with her. She said her decision applies only to the Formenton signing, not to other players already on the team, and did not say whether she would support another club.
Formenton said after signing that he was grateful to join the Oilers following what he called a "difficult road." The Oilers were eliminated in the first round of last season's playoffs and lost in the Stanley Cup final in both 2024 and 2025.
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