Ken Holland, general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, joins Deb Placey on the latest edition of NHL Executive Suite, available on NHL.com and multiple iOS and Android podcast apps.
He opens the conversation by explaining why at the age of 64 he wanted the job of Oilers GM and what it's like working with the ownership group. He looks back at how he got started in management as a scout, working at a liquor store during the summer and how he almost became a vacuum salesman.
Holland was executive vice president and GM of the Detroit Red Wings from 1997-2019, a span that saw them win the Stanley Cup three times. He worked with coach Mike Babcock for 10 seasons, including the championship season of 2007-08.
Babcock was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 20. He went 173-133-45 in five seasons, guiding them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for three consecutive seasons (2016-19) but failing to advance past the Eastern Conference First Round.
"I would think he'd want to coach again because he loves coaching," Holland said. "You quickly reflect on things you might do differently or better, and I'm sure Mike had some time in the wintertime to kind of self-assess.
"Mike's got a ton of passion. He's got a tremendous work ethic. He's demanding. He pushes his players. Would some players feel that they were pushed too hard? Probably. I know for a fact there's players on that team who had no issue with how he pushed the team. With what happened in that time period, I think it's going to be for the betterment of our sport, our industry."
NHL Executive Suite, hosted by Placey, is a biweekly podcast that gives listeners a taste of how each guest broke into the game, why they pursued their careers, how they see the future evolution of the sport and much more.
Fans can subscribe and listen to NHL Executive Suite at NHL.com/Podcasts, as well as multiple iOS and Android podcast Apps, including Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iheartradio, iTunes, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio.
In addition, fans can tune in to NHL Fantasy On Ice ™, a twice-weekly podcast dedicated to the fantasy hockey world. Full episodes, posted every Tuesday and Friday, also can be found at NHL.com/Podcasts. NHL Podcasts are produced by NHL Original Productions.
