Vacation, retirement, hiatus, short break, whatever you want to call it – Vernon's Ken Holland is back on the clock.
Four months after watching his Edmonton Oilers drop Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers, and after leaving the Oilers in the days following the defeat, Holland is now employed by the National Hockey League (NHL).
He joins the league's Hockey Operations Department as a consultant, announced Tuesday, Nov. 12, by NHL senior executive vice-president of hockey operations Colin Campbell.
"We are delighted to welcome Ken to NHL Hockey Operations, where he will provide invaluable insight from his decades in the game as a player, scout and executive," said Campbell, a former Vancouver Canucks defenceman whose week started by being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category.
"He offers unmatched expertise in a wide range of areas."
Holland's resumé in hockey management includes 27 years as an NHL general manager, four Stanley Cup rings, two Olympic gold medals for Canada and induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2020.
He was president of hockey operations/general manager of the Edmonton Oilers for five seasons, leading the club to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 18 years last June.
Holland moved to Edmonton from Detroit, where he served as Red Wings GM for 22 years, capturing 10 division titles. He was a key part of Red Wings' Stanley Cup championship teams in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, the final three as GM.
In 27 years as an NHL GM, Holland racked up 1,145 regular season wins in 2,061 games, fifth most in NHL history in both categories.
Prior to taking over as Red Wings GM in 1997, Holland worked in several roles within the organization, including as assistant GM (1994-97), GM of the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate (1994-97), amateur scouting director (1989-94) and Western Canada scout (1985-89).
While leading his NHL Clubs, Holland acted simultaneously as a steward of the game overall, serving on the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee and GM Executive Committee. Among his many contributions to the series of innovative and successful rules changes in recent years was his advocacy and work in instituting three-on-three overtime in 2015-16.
Internationally, Holland served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, highlighted by Canada men's gold medal wins at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Holland played goal for his hometown Vernon Vikings in the BC Junior Hockey League before moving on to the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 12th round, 188th overall, in the 1975 NHL Draft. He appeared in four NHL contests with the Hartford Whalers and Red Wings over nine pro seasons.
