There are so many aspects to the game of hockey that most casual fans don’t even think about. What you see on the ice while watching an NHL game is just one of many, many different parts of the sport. Yes, it’s probably the most fun and entertaining, but there’s so much more to the game. 

Kevin Lowe is a Hockey Lifer in every sense of the phrase. He was a first-round draft pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 1979. He ended up spending 19 years in The NHL as a player; 15 seasons with the Oilers and four with the New York Rangers. In total, he was part of six Stanley Cup championship teams, was the 1989-90 recipient of The King Clancy Memorial Trophy and was inducted into The Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 2020. 

However, that only tells part of his story. Lowe was and is far more than just a Hall of Fame defenseman. He was also a Head Coach, a General Manager, a President of Hockey Operations and currently serves as an Ambassador for the Oilers. Oh and did we mention? He’s also a recipient of The Order of Hockey in Canada. 

Lowe has seen and done it all. So, who better to have a good old-fashioned hockey chat with than him? It’s time to put your learning helmets on and pay attention because Lowe has a lot of knowledge to share.

*Editor’s Note: Questions and Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Question: What are your thoughts on the Oilers and Rangers as the season hits the quarter-way point?

Lowe: “I have to confess, I haven’t watched the Rangers at all, so I can’t really comment on them. The Oilers are a little bit like last year when they had such a poor start and people were super concerned. I wasn’t at all because they had proven over the course of a few years that they were a pretty good team. How they were playing at that particular time wasn’t indicative of what to expect from them. And I think it is the same thing this year. They made some changes and I don’t think their better players have been at their best.

“The goaltending’s not quite as stellar. The defense is a little decimated. The forwards aren’t defending. That leads to what they are — just around .500. So, certainly not the start to the season that you’d figure a Cup contender would have. But there’s lots of hockey left. I think, relative to the Oilers, I can’t really comment on the Rangers, other than I’d love to see (them) both (do well) and I was hoping for them both to play against one another last year in The Final.”

Question: From Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers have had a lot of elite talent over the decades. What are your thoughts on them?

Lowe: “Fortunate, for starters. No question. I mean, those two players are obviously great players. I talk about Connor (McDavid), first of all, not unlike Wayne Gretzky, he is, on most nights, worth the price of admission alone. Whether he wins a Cup or not, regardless of what he does in terms of the team concept, just to watch him skate and make plays the way he does, there are very few players in my mind, in the history of The NHL, who are at that level in terms of the eye test when you’re actually there watching the game. 

“I would say Bobby Orr, Wayne (Gretzky) and Connor McDavid. I’ve said this to a lot of people, ‘Wayne sold out every building he played in because of his success and well, it goes without saying, he was a phenom, no question. But I would say, if you were an inexperienced hockey fan or a first-time hockey fan and you saw Wayne play, you would be like, ‘Well, he doesn’t really stick out other than he got seven points.’ 

“Whereas, Connor, it’s clear to the eye test when you see him skate and play. That’s special. For hockey purists and Edmonton has a building full of ’em every night, that’s certainly a big thing. And Leon is a great player as well. He’s obviously fun to watch. He’s a different style player, uses more strength and size. He’s a great passer, a throwback to the old days. Both of them are driven to want to win a Stanley Cup.

“That’s a big advantage. Regardless of what happens with the team, whichever players they have here or not, it’ll be those guys driving the bus. Driving the desire to wanna win makes a big difference. I don’t know if they had that a number of years ago. It takes a while. You have to lose enough times and get close, to really have the appetite to want to drive to win a Cup. I suspect the Oilers, I think they can win a Cup in the coming years because of that very reason. That’s a good thing for Edmonton.”

Question: Which defenseman in The NHL today reminds you the most of you as a player?

Lowe: “I’d like to say Mattias Ekholm, but I think he’s better than I was. He’s been amazing. I knew him ’cause I worked with Hockey Canada a lot internationally; worked on four Olympic teams for Canada, so saw the Europeans a lot and started to notice him. 

“But until you really see a player every night, that’s when you get a better appreciation. His addition is one of the reasons why the Oilers have climbed to where people have called them a Cup contender, no question. He solidified the defense. He’s a great defender. He’s a character guy and he’s got sneaky offense. He’s got a heavy shot and he jumps in the play. Like most Swedish hockey players, you don’t come outta that country without having some offense. I just really enjoy watching him.”

Question: How do you feel about the upcoming Four Nations Tournament? 

Lowe: “It’s fantastic. I certainly understood and supported why The NHL didn’t go to past Olympics. But I also know, having played in some of those events, how great it is for the players and how great it is for the game of hockey. And now that The US has really gotten to a point where they certainly could be a favorite. Well, they are a favorite, I would imagine. You can never discount the other nations and of course, Canada, but it just makes for great drama. It just makes for bettering the game of hockey and in our case, The NHL.”

Question: If you had the unilateral power to make any changes to the game what would they be?

Lowe: “That’s a good question. I’d take some time to answer that. I’ll say (this), I was part of the small committee that changed all the rules in 2005, when we were in the lockout. I was part of that competition committee when we took the red line out. We got stronger enforcement on calling the obstruction and hooking rules; basically calling the rule book the way the rules are written. 

“To be honest, I don’t sit there and see a lot wrong with the game. The speed is incredible. Having been a Manager and sitting in those discussions about tweaking things here and there, I don’t really have anything that stands out for me at this point. I enjoy watching the games the way they are.”

Question: What was it like making the transition from Player to Coach to General Manager to Team President and which was your favorite? 

Lowe: “(I was) fortunate for starters. For me, a lot of that stuff is common sense. But also, to be the type of leader I think I was, more of a consensus leader and allowed the people who were working with me or for me or under my purview, to do their jobs. I think back (to) when I became General Manager. I took the General Manager role because Craig MacTavish was my Assistant Coach and I knew he was ready to be a Head Coach. 

“In fact, he did most of the coaching the year I was Head Coach. I was fortunate to move along. But in terms of what was the most enjoyable, I think back to when Glen Sather moved from the Oilers to the Rangers. I had an out in my contract that I could have left and Glen was trying to get me to go to New York to be Head Coach.

“So I said to him at one point, ’cause he was always a good friend and mentor, I said, ‘Well, what would you do?’ And his answer was 100% bang on. But I thought he answered it that way to try to convince me to go to New York. He said, ‘Well, there’s three jobs in hockey. there’s playing, there’s coaching, then there’s managing.’ 

“He said, ‘playing’s the best, coaching’s the second best and managing’s the third best.’ It didn’t take me long after being a Manager, (like) three or four years, to realize what he had told me was bang-on truth. Playing, you can go to the rink, you have a game plan and you prepare yourself.

“If you’re a leader on the team, you help to prepare the rest of the guys. But, if you win the game, then the job’s done. You can relax for a couple days and continue to work hard. You don’t have to think about too much because you won your last game. You expect to win your next game. 

“When you’re a coach, it’s the same kind of strategy there. But there’s always gonna be a few guys who haven’t played or didn’t get the ice time they liked or you’re preparing for a different opponent, so you gotta prepare the team again. So you’re on lock a hundred percent of the time. Having said that, if the team’s winning, it’s the same sort of result as a player. Things are good, everybody’s happy, you’re not worrying about too much.

“But as a manager, it’s never-ending. You’re not thinking about the team just in short bits. You’re thinking about who you’re gonna pick up, possibly in a trade or who you’re gonna trade if the team’s not doing well. Who wants to be signed? Even when the team’s winning, you win a Stanley Cup, there’s players who want bigger contracts. It’s just never-ending and you don’t get the same sort of gratitude personally that you do when you’re playing or coaching.”

Question: Talk to us about how you felt being inducted into The Hockey Hall of Fame and also receiving The Order of Hockey In Canada.

Lowe: “They’re great honors. I don’t totally appreciate them. The Hockey Hall of Fame, (I) certainly wasn’t expecting it. As I’ve said numerous times publicly, to me, The Hockey Hall of Fame is ‘Mess’ (Mark Messier), (Wayne) Gretzky, (Mario) Lemieux, (Gordie) Howe, (Bobby) Orr; those types of guys. I know there are guys in there of my ilk and it is an absolute honor, but I was never expecting (it). 

“The Order of Hockey in Canada, I spent a lot of time promoting the game, working at the game, always trying to do the best. Jean Béliveau was a hero of mine, one of my idols. He was reputed to be one of the classiest gentlemen ever in the game.

“I tried to model myself after him. I’ve got a little more of a temper, I think, than Jean did. I’m not sure if everyone would call me classy, but, what I most like now is at this stage of my life, where I’m an ambassador for the Oilers. I do work for them, promoting the game. Promoting, not so much the Oilers, but just doing what Jean Béliveau did for the Montreal Canadiens for many years after he retired. 

“That’s where the real gratitude comes. When you go to small, rural communities that are the lifeblood of our game in this country and you meet people (who) wanna shake your hand and get a picture with you and ask for an autograph. That’s pretty gratifying.”

Question: What’s your message to the future of the game of hockey?

Lowe: “It’s a great game. It’s a great sport to be involved in. I think it’s a growing sport worldwide. So the timing is good. I think, as a kid, I mean, really, anything you choose to do, it’s, I forget the name of the book, but the concept was ‘The 10,000 hours.’ All the world’s most recognized people, whether they’re in music or arts or sports, are the ones who put the time in who were the ones who had great success in their respective interests. 

“If you’re a little kid wanting to become a professional or just grow in the sport, go to college, play Major Junior. My son was drafted by Carolina and only played a handful of games in The NHL, but he’s still playing pro hockey after 11 years over in Europe.

“There’s so much opportunity in the industry, but you have to put your time in. You have to love it, but you also have to recognize that, what’s that saying about putting the work in when nobody’s watching? That’s a big part of it. We just naturally, as a kid, I mean, I know things have changed, but in my era, there was no ice in the summertime, so I would run and do the off-ice stuff. But we also played a lot of street hockey. 

“It’s amazing, just playing street hockey, how you improve your hand skills. I, at the time, wasn’t doing it because I was trying to become a better hockey player. I just did it ’cause I loved playing street hockey. It’s a little bit of a long-winded statement, but I guess, putting the 10,000 hours in is how you’re gonna get there.”

An excellent sentiment all around from a man who certainly knows a thing or two about hockey. Did you all learn something? Hopefully, you did. Now go put in your 10,000 hours and become the next Kevin Lowe.