Holland Reflects On Oilers’ Game 7 Loss And Road To Kings’ GM Role | After Hours

Holland Reflects On Oilers’ Game 7 Loss And Road To Kings’ GM Role | After Hours

SORETINO’S. WITH TO “AFTER HOURS”, GENERAL MANAGER KEN HOLLAND THAT MANY THOUGHT WOULD BE RETIRED, BUT NOT SO FAST, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE LOS ANGELES KINGS. SO POST-EDMONTON, 25 YEARS AS A GENERAL MANAGER, GOING BACK TO YOUR YEARS WITH DETROIT. WERE YOU ACTIVELY SEEKING ANOTHER JOB? >> NO,, NO. WITH THINGS IN EDMONTON, WENT BACK TO VERNON, SPENT ALL WINTERY THERE, AND THEN AROUND MAYB FEBRUARY, MARCH, I WAS THINKING — ASKING MY WIFE CINDY IF THE PHONE RANG, WHAT TO DO, AND SHE SAID, IT’S YOUR CALL. AND I ENDED UP GETTING A CALL FROM LUC ROBITAILLE, CAME DOWN HERE. AND LUC IS A WONDERFUL MAN, GREAT AEROPLAN — OWNERSHIP HERE. IT’S ON THE WEST. WE HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS IN CALGARY AND SEVEN GRAND KIDS. AND I WATCHED L.A., THEY PLAY HARD, CHECK, AND DECIDED TO COME DOWN HERE TO TRY THE MAKE A DIFFERENCE. >> Scott: WHO RETIRES FIRST, YOU OR ME. [LAUGHTER] >> Scott: FOR EVER YEAR IN EDMONTON, YOU WOULD SEE ME, OH, YOU’RE BACK AGAIN. >> YOU’RE STILL WORKING? [LAUGHTER] >> MAYBE WE’LL GET IT DONE AT THE SAME TIME. >> Scott: THEN YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET FIRED. [LAUGHTER] >> Scott: AT YOUR INTRODUCTORY PRESS CONFERENCE PRESS CONFERENCE AT L. IN MAY, YOU SAID, I MISS BEING IN THE FIRE. TALKING ABOUT THE FIRE, IT CAN GET SERING HOT IN EDMONTON, AS YOU KNOW, THAT EVERY MOVE WAS DISSECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND MAIN-STREAM MEDIA. THE FIRE IS NOT AS HOT IN L.A. IS THAT TO YOUR LIKING? >> I THINK THE FIRE IS WHO YOU HAVE YOURSELF AND THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH. I’D LIKE TO MAKE ANOTHER PLAYOFF RUN, AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE IN THIS BUSINESS. OBVIOUSLY L.A. HASN’T WITHIN A PLAYOFF — WON A PLAYOFF SERIES IN A WHILE. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET IN THE PLAYOFFS AND MAKE SOME NICE. A LONG WAYS TO GO LOOKING AT THE STANDINGS. IT’S HOT, IN THE INTERNAL, HOW YOU PUT PRESSURE ON YOURSELF TO TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. >> Scott: ALL RIGHT, YOU PRESIDED OVER THE OILERS’ APPEARANCE IN THE STANLEY CUP FINAL IN 2024, BUT I THINK IT WAS CLEAR AT THE TIME THAT YOU WEREN’T GOING TO BE COMING BACK TO THE OILERS. SO WHAT WAS IT LOOK WATCHING YOUR TEAM COME THAT CLOSE, GAME 7, AND KNOWING YOU WOULD NOT RETURN AS OILER GM? >> WELL, ANYTIME YOU LOSE GAME 7, LOSING IT TWICE NOW, LOSING TO PITTSBURG IN ’07, AND THEN WITH EDMONTON, IT’S TOUGH. YOU GO ALL THE WAY TO THE LAST GAME OF THE YEAR, MIDDLE OF YOU JUNE, AND YOU WIN ONE, AND YOU’RE STANLEY CUP CHAMP, AND YOU LOSE, THAT’S THE END F IT. CERTAINLY I KNEW THAT WOULD BE THE END OF MY TIME THERE. AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE FINISHED WITH A STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP THERE, WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU WANT TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP. SO MASSIVELY DISAPPOINTING. >> Scott: ONE MORE QUESTION BEFORE WE STOP LIVING IN THE PAST. YOU RAN THE OILERS FOR THREE OF THEIR FOUR FIRST-ROUND ELIMINATIONS OF THE KINGS. A MEETING OF THE OILERS AND THE KINGS IN THE FIRST ROUND THIS YEAR SEEMS UNLIKELY AT THIS POINT, BUT YOU’VE SEEN THE KINGS ENOUGH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR DEFICIENCIES AND WHAT HAS KEPT THEM FROM GETTING PAST THE FIRST ROUND. HOW DO YOU FIX THEM? >> WELL, I’M HOPPING WE MADE MOVES TO GET A LITTLE BIT DEEPER. WE ROLL FOUR LINES. WE ROLL THREE PAIRS OF DEFENCE. OBVIOUSLY NO DREW DOUGHTY TONIGHT, BUT WHEN HE’S HEALTHY, ROLLING THREE PAIRS OF DEFENCE. SO HOPEFULLY — I THINK LAST YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS, JIM HILLER CUT BACK TO USING A LOT OF TIMES THREE LINES AND FOUR OR FIVE “D”, SO I’M HOPING WE’RE DEEPER WITH THE EDITION OF ARMIA AND PERRY UP FRONT, HOPING WE’RE DEEPER AND YOU HOPE THAT ONE DAY IT’S GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT YOU’VE BEEN THERE, BEEN THERE, BEEN THERE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO DIFFERENTLY FOR A DIFFERENT RUL. >> Scott: TO THE AMERICAN THANKSGIVING BENCHMARK T. ONE THAT SAYS 77% OF THE TEAMS IN THE PLAYOFFS AT THIS TIME STAY THERE. YOU’RE THE ONE WHO CAME UP WITH THAT WHEN YOU WERE WITH DETROIT. SO I’M GUESSING YOU LIKE THAT THEORY MORE THAN EVER THIS YEAR THAT THE KINGS ARE IN THE RACE FOR A PLAYOFFS SPOT. >> BACK THEN, THE DISPARITY WAS WAY BIGGER. NOW THE TEAMS ARE SO CLOSE THAT I’M NOT SURE IT’S A BENCHMARK. WE’RE RIGHT IN THE THICK OF THINGS. >> Scott: YOU THINK THE THEORY IS BLOWN UP? >> I THINK IT WILL PROBABLY BE THREE-QUARTERS OF THE TEAMS, BUT A NUMBER OF TEAMS IN THERE ARE GOING TO BE OUT. YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT TWO AND THREE POINTS BETWEEN FIRST PLACE AND FOURTH OR FIFTH. AND BEING IN AND BEING OUT. SO IT’S A GREAT LEAGUE. IT’S UNREAL HOW — WE’VE PLAYED 25 GAMES, AND I THINK WE’VE BEEN IN 12 OVERTIME GAMES, YOU KNOW. EVERY SECOND GAME, WE GO TO OVERTIME. SO IT’S A CLOSE, CLOSE LEAGUE. >> Scott: YEAH, YOU LEAD THE LEAGUE BY A LONG SHOT IN EXTRA TIME. HERE IS ANOTHER THEORY OR IDEA. GOALTENDERS MAKE GREAT ANALYSTS. SOMEWHERE AROUND HALF THE BROADCAST ANALYSTS IN THE NHL ARE GOALTENDER ANALYSTS. >> AND LITTLE GOALIES TOO. >> Scott: A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE. WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY GENERAL MANAGER IN THE NHL ARE A GOALTENDING BACKGROUND? >> THERE WAS JIM RUTHERFORD, BUT HE’S A PRESIDENT. RIGHT NOW, THE GOALIES ARE PROBABLY GETTING FLUSHED OUT, AND I HANG AROUND. JIM RUTHERFORD, GARTH SNOW, THERE WAS A FEW GOALIES, BUT I GUESS I’M THE LAST ONE STANDING. >> Scott: BACK TO GENERAL MANAGERRING THE KINGS. SIGNING COREY PERRY, PRESUMABLY FOR DEPTH. MISSED THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON, AND THEN SCORED FIVE IN FIRST SIX GAMES. SURELY COREY PERRY HAS EXCEEDED YOUR EXPECTATIONS. >> HE HAS A LOT OF WILL AND DETERMINATION. HE GOES TO THE HARD AREAS. HE GOES TO THE BLUE PAINT, WINS BATTLES, KNOWS HOW TO PROTECT THE PUCK. WHEN I WAS IN DETROIT, BEEN CHASING HIM SINCE I WAS A MANAGER THERE. AND HE WENT TO DALLAS, AND THEN HE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE. SO HAPPY TO GET HIM IN EDMONTON AND THRILLED TO HAVE HIM NOW WITH US HERE IN L.A. HE JUST KNOWS HOW TO WIN. HE’S A PRO, AND AT 40 YEARS OLD, THERE’S A LOT OF FIRE IN HIS BELLY, PLAYING AGAINST A LOT OF KIDS. >> Scott: GETTING TO L.A. JUST IN TIME FOR ANZE ANZE KOPITAS FAREWELL TOUR. YOU WATCHED HIM PLAY FOR A LONG TIME. WHERE DOES HE RATE ON YOUR LIST OF ALL-TIME GREATS? >> A CENTRE ICEMAN, BIG, PROTECTS THE PUCK, PLAYS 200 FEET. AND I THINK THE REASON THAT THE L.A. KINGS PLAY THE WAY WE DO NOW STARTS WITH HIM. HE PROTECTS THE PUCK, NEVER TURNS THE PUCK OVER. HE’S THE FIRST BELL IN THE HALL-OF-FAMER, FIRST BEL PERSON. AN UNBELIEVABLE HOCKEY PLAYER, AND I FEEL FORTUNATE TO BE WITH HIM FOR HIS LAST YEAR. STILL A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR TEAM. SCORED A MASSIVE GOAL TONIGHT, AND OUT FOR LOTS OF KEY FACEOFFS. SO HE DRIVES OUR TEAM. >> Scott: KEN, IF WE HAD MORE TIME, AND WE DON’T, BUT WE’D GET YOU TO TELL THE STORY OF HOW YOU ALMOSTECAME THE VACUUM CLEANER SAILSMEN AS PASSENGER SIDE TO GOING OPPOSED TO GOING TO THE HOCKEY HALL-OF-FAMER. GOOGLE KEN HOLLAND, AND U.S. YOL BE ENTERTAINED.

Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland joins Scott Oake on After Hours to discuss his journey from amateur scout to general manager, his time with the Oilers during their recent runs to the finals, the leadership of Anze Kopitar and Corey Perry, and more.
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