Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers

By Pete McIntyre

NHL

Vernon’s Ken Holland not returning as GM of the Oilers

Jun 27, 2024 | 10:15 AM

Big news from the National Hockey League — especially from a local perspective.

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland — who is from Vernon — will not have his contract renewed.

The team announced the move Thursday, calling it a mutual decision.

Jeff Jackson, the Oilers’ chief executive officer of hockey operations, said in a statement that Holland helped build a winning culture in Edmonton and made the Alberta capital a destination for NHL players.

The 68-year-old Holland spent the last five seasons as the Oilers’ GM, building a team that advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Florida Panthers in game 7 on Monday.

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Holland, a former goaltender who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1975, is a four-time Stanley Cup winner, which were all won when he was GM (three Cups) or assistant GM (one) of the Detroit Red Wings.

He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and into Hockey Hall of Fame in 2021 (delayed by one year due to Covid-19 pandemic).

The son of Lee and Rienie Holland, who grew up at the family home on 23rd Street in Vernon’s East Hill area, was presented with the City of Vernon’s Freedom of the City award in 2021.

Holland and his family spend their off-seasons at their home in Coldstream.