Ken Holland has come a long way from that first start at Madison Square Garden.

Resilient Holland bounced back
from MSG nightmare
By John McGourty | NHL.com
Sept. 11, 2005

In 1978, when the Boston Red Sox blew a 14-game lead over the New York Yankees in a little more than month, in desperation, they started their top pitching prospect of the decade, Bobby Sprowl, against the Yankees on Labor Day Weekend in Yankee Stadium. The kid got shelled, lost two of three starts that month, was traded away and finished his four-year career with an 0-3 record.

There's a reason that theatrical plays start out of town before coming to Broadway, salesmen break in at Kenosha and diplomats in Kinshasa. As Woody Stephens said, the buildings are a lot taller in Manhattan.

Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland had his own Bobby Sprowl moment in Manhattan. Holland was a top-flight AHL goalie, an All-Star who would carry his team to the Calder Cup Finals in 1982. But his first chance to play goal in the NHL came at Madison Square Garden with his team in the midst of a losing streak.

"I got my first NHL start ever on a Saturday night in New York," Holland recalled. "We had lost to Washington the night before at home, 7-3, and John Garrett made a lot of saves. I was sitting in my stall, a half-hour before warm-ups and I was slowly pulling on my pads when the trainer told me coach Don Blackburn wanted to see me. He asked me how I felt and said he was thinking of putting me in net. It was 1-0 after one period and I made about 15 saves. I made 20 saves in the second period, but they scored five times.

"I remember how good I felt at the first intermission and how bad I felt at the second. In the third period, Nick Fotiu took a shot that broke the glass behind me and the game was delayed 10-15 minutes. I took off my mask and was leaning against my net, wondering if I would ever get back to Madison Square Garden and the NHL. I got back to the NHL, but never played again at Madison Square Garden."

Holland was a highly regarded goalie while playing juniors for Medicine Hat. But that was during the heyday of the New Westminster Bruins. In 1975, Holland's first year, Medicine Hat lost to New Westminster in the playoffs and they went on to win the Western Hockey League playoffs and contest the Memorial Cup final. The next year, Medicine Hat lost to Victoria, which lost to New Westminster, which then went on to win the Memorial Cup.

"I played for two good teams in Medicine Hat," Holland recalled. "We had a number of players who went on to play in the NHL, including Pete Peeters, Don Murdoch, Bryan Maxwell, Barry Dean and Morris Lukowich."

Holland then spent nine years in the minor leagues, the first three with the Binghamton Dusters.

"I played three years there with Paul Stewart, who went on to a great career as an NHL referee," Holland said. "If practice was at 10 a.m., Paul was on the ice at nine. He had a big heart and a passion for the game. If you play long enough in the American Hockey League, you will not only meet a lot of guys who go on to play in the NHL, but also guys who become NHL referees, coaches and executives. Jacques Caron, the New Jersey Devils' goalie coach who works with Martin Brodeur, was my goalie coach with the Adirondack Red Wings in Glens Falls, N.Y."

Binghamton was in the North American Hockey League Holland's first year, then moved up to join the AHL. Holland's success attracted attention and the Whalers signed him in his fourth year. Holland had a living arrangement that sounds like a nightmare out of Slap Shot.

"I played for their farm team in Springfield that year and then they relocated their AHL affiliate to Binghamton," Holland said. "I shared an apartment in Springfield with Jeff Brubaker, Donny Nachbaur and Ray Neufeld. They were all younger players and they loved to fight. They loved fighting, talking fighting and watching fighting. They all had the skills to get to the NHL, but they also loved the fisticuff end of things.

"I played with Marty Howe in Springfield," Holland continued. "Gordie Howe would come in occasionally to watch us. Mark Howe was still playing with Hartford and Gordie was working in the front office. I just remember Gordie Howe talking to me in the dressing room, a regular guy talking to us! I grew up a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan and here was Dave Keon practicing with us. It was a great feeling being around people like that.

"I was originally drafted by Toronto and went to their training camp before being sent back to Medicine Hat as an over-age junior," Holland recalled. "So, instead, I went to San Diego, the WHA team, and their training camp for a month. They sent me to Binghamton. I was an independent player in the minors for three years before Hartford signed me."

Holland returned to Binghamton in 1981-82 for the season that would earn him an induction into the Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame.

"I started out as backup to Mike Veisor, but he got called up around Christmas," Holland said. "I played almost every game until I sprained my knee with a month left in the regular season. I returned and didn't play well in the Hershey series, but we won. I played better against Rochester to get us into the finals against New Brunswick. We lost in five games, but four of the five were tied going into the third period. Their goalie, Bob Janecyk, was the difference. He was excellent and I wasn't yet back to where I had been.

"That was my only chance to win a professional championship and I didn't have my 'A' game," Holland lamented. "But that was my best year ever. We had a great group of guys including Norm Barnes, Gilles Lupien and Marty Howe. Larry Kish, who got promoted to Hartford the next season, coached us. New Brunswick had a tough team with Steve Larmer, a hell of a player, Steve Ludzik, Jack O'Callahan and Rob McClanahan of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim assistant coach Dave Farrish and former AHL coach Russ Adam."

Then-Red Wings General Manager Jimmy Devellano told Holland at the end of the 1985 season that he was going with younger goalies the next season and wouldn't renew his contract. Holland's coach, Bill Dineen, pleaded with Devellano to find Holland a job in the organization. A month later, Devellano offered Holland a job as western scout, a job he did for four years. When Neil Smith moved to the New York Rangers, Holland became chief amateur scout for five years. Devellano brought him into the front office in 1994 to help direct the amateur draft and learn contracts. He succeeded Devellano as general manager in 1997 and won a Stanley Cup in his first year on the job. He would lead the team to another in 2002.

"As a player I felt very comfortable at the AHL level," Holland said. "It didn't matter who was in the opposite net. I could match him. At the NHL level, I was intimidated. I was never relaxed. As a manager, I try to have as much patience as possible with some of these kids, who might be in absolute awe of their surroundings. You need a comfort level to show what you can do.

"I've always had that comfort level with the Red Wings," Holland said. "Jimmy Devellano brought me along and after we won our first Stanley Cup in 42 years, he made me the general manager. This is my 21st year of scouting or managing in this organization. It's 23 years when you add in my years as a player. To work for the owners we have, the Ilitches, for an Original Six team, in a city that's passionate about hockey, to have worked with Scotty Bowman, to have won three Stanley Cups and be a GM in the NHL for nine years, it's a dream. Please don't wake me."