Front Office

Daryl graduated from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law in 1985. In 1990, he founded the Katz Group, now one of Canada's largest privately owned enterprises, which earlier this year announced the pending sale of its pharmacy business, Rexall Health. Katz Group will continue to invest in the growth of its three other lines of business: real estate, sports & entertainment, and private and public investments.

With a wide range of charitable activities, Mr. Katz is recognized as a leading philanthropist in Edmonton and beyond. In 2003, he was appointed to the Premier's Council of Alberta's Promise, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Alberta's children and youth. He is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and was Co-Chair of the University of Alberta's "Campaign 2008" - the largest fund raising campaign to that time in the university's history. Daryl and his wife Renee are proud parents of Harrison and Chloe, co-founders of the Hockey Helps Kids charitable initiative.

Daryl has great passion for his hometown and its beloved Oilers, and great determination to contribute to the greater success of both.

In addition, Mr. Nicholson oversees the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club hockey operations, working closely with Peter Chiarelli, the President of Hockey Operations and General Manger. He also serves as an Alternate Governor for the Edmonton Oilers on the NHL Board of Governors.

Bob Nicholson joined the Oilers after a long and successful tenure with Hockey Canada, serving as the President and CEO from 1988 to 2014, where he oversaw all operations for competitions Canada participated in internationally, including the IIHF World Hockey Championships and Olympic Winter Games, and has overseen Canada winning 72 medals in international competition since 1990, 44 of which were gold, including seven Olympic gold medals.

Nicholson also served as the Senior Vice-President of the Canadian Hockey Association from 1992 to 1998 and Vice-President of programs with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1990 to 1991. He has been heavily involved with international hockey, serving on the International Ice Hockey Federation's coaching committee and currently holds the position of Vice President of the International Ice Hockey Federation which he was elected to in September 2012.

Before joining the national body, Nicholson was Technical Director with the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association from 1979 to 1989. He was inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. He played minor hockey and Junior A hockey in Penticton, helping the Penticton Broncos win the BCJHL and B.C.-Alberta championships, and also played NCAA hockey at Providence College in Rhode Island.

Iconic Oilers captain and all-time hockey great, Gretzky will work closely with the OEG team on the commercial side of the business to attract world-class sports and entertainment partnerships and events to Rogers Place, as well as supporting development initiatives in ICE District. He will also be a sounding board and resource for Oilers President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli and his team to assist in key functions including player development, recruiting and mentorship. 

Gretzky's on-ice exploits are the stuff of legend as upon his retirement on 18 April 1999, Gretzky held or shared 61 National Hockey League records. Following his retirement in 1999, Gretzky became the ninth and final player to be immediately ushered into the Hall of Fame, and the first in history to have his jersey number retired league-wide.

Career highlights since retirement include positions as minority owner and Head Coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, Executive Director of 2002's Gold Medal-winning Canadian Men's Olympic Hockey team, owner of the popular Toronto bar and restaurant Wayne Gretzky's, winemaker with the celebrated Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery, and philanthropist with his own Wayne Gretzky Foundation and countless other charitable endeavours.

A new era in Oilers' history was ushered in when Lowe was named to the position of General Manager on June 9, 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. Over those years the team's payroll was annually near the bottom of the league however the team was a league leader in dollars spent for points earned in standings including many playoff appearances. As GM, he became one of only 40 general managers in the history of the NHL to get his team to the Stanley Cup finals in 2006, losing in game seven to the Carolina Hurricanes.

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, along with Doug Armstrong and Ken Holland, assisted General Manager Steve Yzerman to help guide Canada's Olympic Team to another historic gold medal victory in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Lowe will once again represent his country as a part of Team Canada's management team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

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. That goal was also assisted by Wayne Gretzky, marking the "Great One's" first ever point in the NHL.

Lowe holds the Oilers' record for most games played in both the regular season (1,037) and playoffs

(172) and is one of only 45 players in NHL history to have played in 1,000 games with one franchise. He also ranks among Edmonton's all-time leaders as he is eighth in assists (309), 11th 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. He was the Honorary Chair from 1982-83 to 1991-92 and Honorary Co-Chair from 2005 to present.

Lowe, has a son, Shane, and he 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, who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 3rd round, 73rd overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Both Kevin and Karen are Honorary Spokespeople for the Zebra Society.

In October, 2009 Bob assumed the position of Executive Vice-President of Rexall Sports & Entertainment for the Katz Group, the parent company of Rexall Sports and Entertainment and the Edmonton Oilers. He has since assumed the roles of Executive Vice President of Edmonton Arena Corp and Chief Development Officer for the Oilers Entertainment Group. Bob lead the design and construction of Rogers Place on behalf of the Katz Group and Edmonton Oilers. He was a member of the negotiating committee that put in place the Master Agreement for the arena funding with the City of Edmonton as well as numerous ancillary agreements thereto. Bob was also a contributor to the Capital City Downtown Plan and lead in the rezoning and master planning of the ICE District. He also leads a number of ongoing special projects relative to the ICE District. 

He currently serves on the One Edmonton Committee, the Downtown Vibrancy Task Force, the Board of Directors for the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, the Downtown Bike Network Advisory Group and is a past member of the Winter City Think Tank. Bob has recently been appointed to the WinterCity Advisory Council. In July 2010, he was named among 50 of Alberta's Most Influential People by Alberta Venture magazine.

MacDonald began his professional career in 1981 with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, where he served as the club's Director of Marketing and Publicity. In 1987 he joined the Oilers where he played a leading role as the organization's Director of Marketing for over a decade. In 1998 he was named Chief Operating Officer of the American Hockey League's Saint John Flames and guided the club for five seasons. 

The sports industry veteran rejoined the Oilers organization temporarily in 2003 as a member of the project team for the Molson Canadian Heritage Classic outdoor game, and then on a permanent basis in 2004 when he was appointed President of the Edmonton Road Runners Hockey Club. In 2005, he was named the Oilers Vice President of Marketing, and in 2006 he assumed his current duties. 

Among the highlights of MacDonald's career are three Stanley Cup Championships ('87, '88, '90), an AHL Championship ('01) and a WHL Championship ('12). 

MacDonald holds a Diploma in Sports Administration from Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario. He and his wife Sheila reside near downtown Edmonton.