| Kevin Lowe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2020 | |||
 Lowe in 2006 | |||
| Born | (1959-04-15)April 15, 1959 (age 66) Lachute, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers New York Rangers | ||
| Coached for | Edmonton Oilers | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 21st overall,1979 Edmonton Oilers | ||
| Playing career | 1979–1998 | ||
| Coaching career | 1998–2000 | ||
Medal record | |||
Kevin Hugh Lowe (born April 15, 1959) is a Canadian professionalice hockey executive, former coach and former player. Lowe was the vice-chairman ofOilers Entertainment Group until his retirement on August 2, 2022, having formerly served as head coach and then general manager of theEdmonton Oilers.[1] As a defenceman, he played for theEdmonton Oilers and theNew York Rangers from 1979 to 1998.
Over his career, Lowe won theStanley Cup six times. In 1990, he was awarded theKing Clancy Memorial Trophy. He was elected to theHockey Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to theOrder of Hockey in Canada in 2021.
In 1976 Lowe joined theQuebec Remparts of theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League. An Anglophone, he learnedFrench as the team used it, and in 1978 was namedcaptain, the first English captain in team history.[2] Over 201 games with the Remparts Lowe scored 42 goals and 131 assists for 173 points, along with 245 PIM. At one point he was in negotiations with theBirmingham Bulls of theWorld Hockey Association (WHA), but was reluctant to join them, and when it was announced the Bulls would notjoin the NHL the point was moot.[3]
He was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, of the 1979NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, the franchise's first NHL draft selection.
Lowe played 13 full seasons in his first stint with the Oilers and helped lead them to fiveStanley Cup championships.
During his time with the Oilers, he was the main narrator ofThe Boys on the Bus, journalistBob McKeown's 1987 documentary film about the team.[4]
During the Oilers' run to the 1988Stanley Cup, Lowe played with a broken wrist and a full cast, a potential explanation for his point totals (0-2-2 in 19 games), yet he didn't miss a single playoff game. On the night the Oilers won the Cup, Wayne Gretzky informed the media that Lowe was also hiding broken ribs throughout the playoffs.[5]
Lowe became team captain for the 1991–92 season after Mark Messier was traded to the New York Rangers. Leading the Oilers to an ugly 1-5-1 start in early October, the team finished with a 36-34-10 record.
The Oilers traded him to the New York Rangers, in December 1992 (Lowe was a restricted free agent). In 1994, he won the Stanley Cup with six other ex-Oilers—Glenn Anderson,Jeff Beukeboom,Adam Graves,Craig MacTavish,Mark Messier, andEsa Tikkanen—bringing his total to six.
In 1996, he re-joined the Oilers as a free agent and played another full season. He started the 1997–98 season with the Oilers as well but only played 7 games before being forced to retire due to an inner-ear virus that affected his balance.
In total, Lowe played in 1254 career regular season games, scoring 84–347–431 with 1498 penalty minutes. He added another 214 playoff games, scoring 10–48–58 and earning 192 penalty minutes.
Lowe played more regular season and playoff games in an Oilers uniform than anyone in franchise history (1037 and 172). He was the team's first-ever NHL draft pick and scored their first NHL goal (a power play goal against theChicago Blackhawks assisted byWayne Gretzky andBrett Callighen; Gretzky's first NHL point). Many, including Gretzky himself,[6] believe the Great One tipped the puck on its way to the net. During his professional hockey career, Lowe did not play a single game in the minor leagues, and his teams only once failed to make the playoffs.[7]
Lowe was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1993. He also won the league'sKing Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1990.[8]
Lowe joined the Oilers staff in 1998 as an assistant coach. In 1999, he took over head coaching duties fromRon Low. He was head coach for just a single season, winning 32 out of 82 games (32-26-16-8), and getting the Oilers to the first round of the playoffs where they fell to the Dallas Stars in five games. He was promoted to general manager of the Oilers in 2000 when long-time GMGlen Sather left for theNew York Rangers. He remained the Oilers' Executive Vice President and General Manager until the 2008–09 season when he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations.
Lowe has also been responsible for assisting Canadian national hockey teams. He was a member of the management team for the Canadian men's ice hockey team at the2002 Winter Olympics that won the gold medal and was also named a manager for the 2004World Cup of Hockey team. In addition, he has managed Team Canada atWorld Hockey Championships.
In 2005, theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League created theKevin Lowe Trophy (Trophée Kevin Lowe), awarded annually to the player in the QMJHL judged to be the best defensive defenceman.
In the 2006–2007 NHL offseason, Lowe offered contracts to restricted free agentsThomas Vanek, which was matched by theBuffalo Sabres, then to Anaheim forwardDustin Penner, which was signed. Following the offer sheet to Penner,Brian Burke, then-GM of theAnaheim Ducks, publicly blamed Lowe for inflation in player salaries, accusing Lowe of "colossal stupidity."[9] Then head coachCraig MacTavish responded by referring Burke to theWizard of Oz, "You comb his hair, put a white shirt on, wheel him out in front of the camera and he'll say whatever you guys want."[10][9] Lowe did not respond to Burke's attacks until July 4, 2008, on a local radio show, Total Sports with Bob Stauffer, calling Burke a "moron" and "a media junkie."[11][12]
Lowe's No. 4 was not retired by the Oilers until 2021;[13] he had been the only player in the Oilers' NHL history to wear No. 4 until he issued it toTaylor Hall, the Oilers' first-overall draft pick in 2010.Kris Russell wore No. 4 for the Oilers as well until the beginning of the 2021-2022 season.
In 2021, Lowe was appointed to the board of directors for Play On! Canada. Play On! Canada is the world's largest road hockey tournament.[14]
Lowe was the fourth child of Clifford and Jessie Lowe (after Carol, Nancy, andKen).[15] The Lowe family operated a dairy inLachute, Quebec, and were one of the few English Catholic families in the region, with most people being francophones. Clifford was involved in operating a local hockey rink, so his children skated there from an early age, with Lowe starting when he was 3 years old.[16]
His brother Kenneth later worked as the Head Medical Trainer of the Oilers. He is married to Canadian OlympianKaren Percy and is the father of defencemanKeegan Lowe, who was drafted by theCarolina Hurricanes in the third round, 73rd overall of the2011 NHL Entry Draft. Kevin is an uncle of Melissa Lowe, a Canadian bobsleigh athlete.[17]
Lowe was named to theHockey Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020.[18] Primarily a defensive defenceman during his playing career, Lowe was the first defensive defenceman named to the Hall sinceRod Langway in 2002.[18] Lowe was the final member of the Oilers' "Group of Seven" to be inducted into the Hall.[19]
On February 26, 2021, Lowe was named to theOrder of Hockey in Canada byHockey Canada, in recognition of his career and contribution to the game in Canada.[20]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1976–77 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 69 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1977–78 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 64 | 13 | 52 | 65 | 81 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1978–79 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 68 | 26 | 60 | 86 | 120 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 36 | ||
| 1979–80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 64 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 70 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 94 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 1981–82 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 63 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 43 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1983–84 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 4 | 42 | 46 | 59 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 1984–85 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 104 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1985–86 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 74 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 90 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 8 | 29 | 37 | 94 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 70 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 89 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 | ||
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 76 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 98 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 78 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 140 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1990–91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 73 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 113 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1991–92 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 107 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Rangers | NHL | 49 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 70 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | ||
| 1994–95 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 58 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 53 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 76 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 64 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,254 | 84 | 347 | 431 | 1,498 | 214 | 10 | 48 | 58 | 192 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Canada | WC | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1984 | Canada | CC | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |
| Senior totals | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | |||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| Edmonton Oilers | 1999–00 | 82 | 32 | 26 | 16 | 8 | 88 | 2nd inNorthwest | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round (DAL) |
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Stanley Cup champion | 1984,1985,1987,1988 and1990 (Edmonton),1994 (NY Rangers) |
| NHL All-Star Game | 1984,1985,1986,1988,1989,1990,1993 |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 1990 |
| Preceded by | Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick 1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theKing Clancy Memorial Trophy 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers 2000-08 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Edmonton Oilers 1999–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Edmonton Oilers captain 1991–92 | Succeeded by |
