Kevin Lowe—A New Era In Edmonton—Page 2

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"There’s extra motivation to play," Lowe has said of his homegrown talent "Without question, there is greater pride. I remember how I was when I was a player. When I would go back to Montreal, there was extra jump in my step."

"Actually, bringing in a local guy can backfire. I remember Mess. In the early days, fans were quick to jump on him because he was local."

"You have to recognize the talent in your own backyard."

Lowe’s foresight has already made his name synonymous with the brightest GMs in the game. He is family-oriented, charitable, loyal and fiscally responsible; qualities that would serve any NHL team well. In the midst of just his third season running the Oiler show, an espn.com poll had Lowe ranked as the seventh best of the 30 general managers in the league (Glen Sather came in at 27th).

The high point of Lowe’s managerial career came at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Appointed to the job of Assistant Executive Director for Canada Olympic Hockey, he and his good friend Wayne Gretzky helped assemble a powerhouse Canadian squad that won gold after defeating the host Americans in their own barn. Brewer, Smyth and the Oiler training staff all took part in the historic victory, Canada’s first men’s hockey Olympic gold since 1952, and Lowe hoped the experience would serve his Edmonton team well.

With an impending labour dispute threatening to alter the future NHL landscape, for better or worse, Lowe has always maintained that goal number one was for his Oilers to reach the end of the league’s current collective bargaining agreement in 2004. He is on the verge of safely leading them to that point.

"That’s been the plan along, to be competitive along the way, to play good hockey, to entertain our fans, to have our players grow and learn and with the ultimate end point being 2004," he said.

When the NHL contract is eventually sorted out, Lowe can get back to the real goal–a sixth Stanley Cup for the City of Champions.

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