Since being named as General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers on June 9, 2000, Kevin Lowe has been instrumental in the renewed success of the team both on and off the ice. In his seven seasons as General Manager, Lowe has become one of the National Hockey League’s top young executives, helping to build one of the outstanding franchises in the League.

A new era in Oilers’ history was ushered in when Lowe was named to the position of General Manager in June, 2000. With the announcement, the first-ever draft pick in Oilers’ history replaced Glen Sather, who held the position since June of 1979. Lowe’s appointment came a year after he was named head coach of the Oilers on June 18, 1999.

Lowe’s dedication and success has been rewarded as the Edmonton Investors Group, the ownership group of the Oilers, signed Lowe to a four-year contract extension on May 22, 2003.

It took the popular Lowe only three seasons from his retirement from the game as a player to make his way to the position of General Manager. After a brilliant playing career in the National Hockey League with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, Lowe announced his retirement from the game on July 30, 1998 and joined the coaching ranks as he served as an assistant coach with Ron Low’s Edmonton staff in 1998-99.

The 1999-00 season saw Lowe become the seventh head coach in Oilers history. In his lone season behind the Edmonton bench, Lowe guided the Oilers to a second place finish in the Northwest Division with a 32-26-16-8 record, only eight points behind the first place Colorado Avalanche, and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Lowe’s expertise has also translated into success for Team Canada on the international stage. On November 8, 2000, Lowe was named as Assistant Executive Director of Canada Olympic Hockey for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Working with former teammate Wayne Gretzky, Team Canada’s Executive Director, head coach Pat Quinn and Director of Player Personnel, Steve Tambellini, Lowe helped put together a team of NHL players that won the Olympic gold medal for Canada for the first time in 50 years. A 5-2 victory over the United States in the gold medal final on February 24, 2002 saw Team Canada become the first Canadian squad to win Olympic gold since the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys won at Oslo, Norway in 1952. He reprised that role with Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy and was a member of Team Canada’s management team that put together the gold medal winning roster at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Lowe was the Oilers’ first-ever draft pick when he was selected 21st overall in the 1979 NHL Amateur Draft on August 9, 1979.  During 19 seasons in the NHL, including 15 as an Oiler, Lowe played in 1,254 regular season games and 214 playoff games, winning six Stanley Cup championships. The first five Cup championships came with Edmonton as he was a member of each of the Oilers’ titles in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 and was followed by a sixth with the New York Rangers in 1994. In his 15 seasons with Edmonton, the Oilers never failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Lowe in the lineup. In fact, Lowe only missed post-season play once in his 19-year career as New York missed the 1992-93 playoffs during his first season in Manhattan.

Besides being the first draft choice in Oilers’ history, Lowe also scored the first goal in team history as he beat Tony Esposito at 9:49 of the first period in Edmonton’s first NHL game on October 10, 1979 at Chicago Stadium. The goal launched a career that saw him play for 19 seasons without spending a day in the minors.

Lowe holds the Oilers’ record for most games played in both the regular season (1,037) and playoffs (172) and is one of only 38 players in NHL history to have played in 1,000 games with one franchise. His 1,254 career NHL games ranks him 47th on the league’s all-time list. He also ranks among Edmonton’s all-time leaders as he is seventh in assists (309), ninth in points (383) and third in penalty minutes (1,236).

He became the sixth captain in Oilers’ history in 1990-91, fulfilling the promise of his junior career that saw him named the only Anglo-Canadian captain of the Quebec Remparts.

On the international stage he represented Canada at the 1982 World Championships and was a member of Team Canada that won the 1984 Canada Cup. He also played in seven NHL All-Star Games (1984-86, 1988-90, 1993).

Off the ice, he was no less a leader. In 1990, Lowe became the only player to win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Budweiser/NHL Man of the Year Award in the same season. Both awards are presented for leadership qualities and humanitarian contributions. He was also the Oilers’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that season. His work with the Edmonton Christmas Bureau has set the standard for the Oilers’ commitment to community involvement.

Lowe and his wife Karen, a two-time Olympic alpine skiing bronze medal winner for Canada at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, have three daughters - Devyn, Darby and Karly - and a son, Keegan.