1998 Isuzu Rodeo Question Driving with no oil leading to blo

Hi, I recently drove my car for a short period with nearly no oil after a quick-lube shop forgot to replace my oil. I noticed this problem after I had very sluggish acceleration and my car began to smoke out the engine. A good auto shop ran a compression test and found my compression to be fine. But the tech said I had a blown valve cover gasket causing a big oil leak. Now I take pride in maintaining my car properly and have never noticed a big oil leak before, nor have any previous techs doing changes. My question is whether there is any way that driving with very little oil can cause a blown valve cover gasket? Thanks.