{
  "id": 8589542,
  "title": "Protesters gather in Edmonton before Oilers game",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/protesters-gather-in-edmonton-before-oilers-game",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T02:44:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Global News",
    "slug": "global-news",
    "url": "https://globalnews.ca/news/12065975/protesters-gather-in-edmonton-before-oilers-game/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Edmonton protesters chanted \"no means no\" and \"drunk isn't consent\" outside Rogers Place ahead of the Edmonton Oilers' first home game on Saturday, renewing calls for the team to reverse its controversial signing of Alex Formenton. Formenton, one of five former Canada junior team members acquitted of sexual assault charges, has been linked to a hotel room encounter with a woman in 2018. Jaclyn Prouse, a protester, said the case exposed the dark side of Canada's hockey culture and she would no longer support the Oilers due to Formenton's signing. Mary Loewen, an Oilers superfan, said the team and organization betrayed sexual assault survivors and ignored their voices. Prosecutors argued the woman did not consent during the trial, and the players failed to verify her consent. Despite the backlash, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman stated the team did its due diligence before signing Formenton.",
  "summary": "Dozens of protesters chanted \"no means no\" and \"drunk isn't consent\" outside Rogers Place arena ahead of the Edmonton Oilers' first home game on Saturday, which featured the team's controversial new forward Alex Formenton.",
  "key_points": [
    "Protesters chanted \"no means no\" and \"drunk isn't consent\" outside Rogers Place.",
    "Formenton linked to 2018 hotel room encounter with a woman, leading to sexual assault acquittal.",
    "Oilers general manager Stan Bowman claims team did due diligence before signing Formenton."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The protest outside the Oilers game shows that the team's signing of Alex Formenton has galvanized opposition from fans who see it as ignoring the voices of sexual assault survivors.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}