Lowe played three seasons of junior hockey, starting in 1976 with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. He scored 42–131–173 in 201 games played, with 245 PIM. In the 1978–79 season, he was named the first English-speaking captain of a QMJHL team. He was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, the franchise's first ever NHL draft selection.
NHL playing career
Lowe played 13 full seasons in his first stint with the Oilers, and helped lead them to five Stanley Cups. As one of the alternate captains during his first tenure, Lowe was regarded as one of the leaders of the Oilers' 1980s dynasty, along with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Lowe became team captain for the 1991–92 season after Mark Messier was traded to the New York Rangers. The Oilers traded him to the New York Rangers, in December 1992. In 1994, he won the Stanley Cup with six other ex-Oilers--Glenn Anderson, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Craig MacTavish, Mark Messier, and Esa Tikkanen—bringing his personal total to six. In 1996, he re-joined the Oilers as a free agent, and played another full season. He started the 1997–98 season with the Oilers as well, but only played 7 games before being forced to retire due to an inner-ear virus that affected his balance. In total, Lowe played in 1254 career regular season games, scoring 84–347–431 with 1498 penalty minutes. He added another 214 playoff games, scoring 10–48–58 and earning 192 penalty minutes.
Post playing career
Lowe joined the Oilers staff in 1998 as an assistant coach. In 1999, he took over head coaching duties from Ron Low. He was head coach for just a single season, getting the Oilers to the first round of the playoffs. He was promoted to general manager of the Oilers in 2000 when long-time GM Glen Sather left for the New York Rangers. He remained the Oilers' Executive Vice President and General Manager until the 2008–09 season when he was promoted to President of Hockey Operations. Lowe has also been responsible for assisting Canadian national hockey teams. He was a member of the management team for the Canadian men's ice hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics that won the gold medal, and was also named a manager for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey team. In addition, he has managed Team Canada at World Hockey Championships. In 2005, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League created the Kevin Lowe Trophy, awarded annually to the player in the QMJHL judged to be the best defensive defenceman. In the 2006–2007 NHL offseason Lowe offered contracts to restricted free agents Thomas Vanek, which was matched by the Buffalo Sabres, then to Anaheim forward Dustin Penner, which was signed. Following the offer sheet to Penner, Brian Burke, the then-GM of The Anaheim Ducks, publicly blamed Lowe for an inflation in player salaries, accusing Lowe of "colossal stupidity". Then head coach Craig MacTavish responded by referring Burke to the Wizard of Oz, "You comb his hair, put a white shirt on, wheel him out in front of the camera and he'll say whatever you guys want". Lowe did not respond to Burke's attacks until July 4, 2008 on a local radio show, Total Sports with Bob Stauffer, calling Burke a "moron" and "a media junkie". Lowe's No. 4 has not been retired, but he had been the only player in the Oilers' NHL history to wear No. 4 until he issued it to Taylor Hall, the Oilers' first-overall draft pick in 2010. Lowe was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020. Primarily a defensive defenceman during his playing career, Lowe was the first defensive defenceman named to the Hall since Rod Langway in 2002.
Notable achievements
Lowe played more regular season and playoff games in an Oilers uniform than anyone in franchise history. He was the team's first-ever NHL draft pick, and scored their first NHL goal. Many believe Gretzky tipped the shot. During his professional hockey career, Lowe did not play a single game in the minor leagues, and his teams only once failed to make the playoffs. Lowe was named to play in the NHL All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1993. He also won the league's King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1990. During the Oilers' run to the 1988 Stanley Cup, Lowe played with a broken wrist and a full cast, yet didn't miss a single playoff game. On the night the Oilers won the Cup, Wayne Gretzky informed the media that Lowe was also hiding broken ribs throughout the playoffs. Kevin Lowe was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.
Personal information
Lowe is the younger brother of the former Edmonton Oilers Head Medical Trainer Ken Lowe. He is married to Canadian Olympian Karen Percy, and is the father ofBakersfield Condors defenceman Keegan Lowe, who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round, 73rd overall of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Lowe's oldest son is Canadian filmmaker, Shane Fennessey. Kevin is also the uncle of Melissa Lowe, a Canadian bobsleigh athlete.
Awards and achievements
Member of six Stanley Cup winning teams: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers and 1994 with the New York Rangers
Selected to seven NHL All-Star Games: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1993
Winner of the 1990 King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Member of the 1984 Canada Cup Championship team. Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on June 24, 2020.
