
Former Oilers GM Holland joins playoff rivals Los Angeles Kings
Article content
He's 69 and while the lefty likes golf and even has an import membership at famous Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the scene of this summer's Open, he can't golf every day. Golf's his like, hockey's his passion. He's always been up early, talking to agents, other managers, having coffee with his staff, asking questions.
As he's long said, he's not wired for a stress-free existence. With his Hall of Fame resume (three Stanley Cup celebrations in Detroit, the fourth-most wins of any general manager in history), he could be sitting on his couch with a TV remote, or be out on his boat on the lake in B.C. enjoying retirement with his wife Cyndi. But, that's not him.
'After Game 7 last June when we lost in Florida on a Monday night, I met with (team CEO) Jeff Jackson and we agreed we were going to go our separate ways,' said Holland.
'That weekend was the NHL draft and I missed not being there. It was the first I had missed in 40-something years. I wasn't sure where I was going. Was I going to miss it? And over the course of the winter living in British Columbia, every night the TV's on and I'm watching hockey from 4 o'clock until 10:30 and my wife is in the bedroom watching a movie or reading a book,' said Holland.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
US Open '25: DeChambeau's sand save an all-time memory at golf's most punishing major
It only feels right that the reigning titleholder at the golf championship that, at least in theory, anyone can win is the player who leans into the role of the sport's most relatable everyman, Bryson DeChambeau. And it only feels right that at the U.S. Open — a tournament built to humble and punish the best in the game as much as celebrate them — DeChambeau earned his title by hitting a shot that virtually no man can hit. A plaque now sits outside the bunker on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2, enshrining the spot where DeChambeau placed his name in the history books with what he called 'the shot of my life' — a 55-yard blast from the sand to 4 feet with the trophy hanging in the balance on Sunday at last year's Open. Defense of the title begins Thursday at Oakmont, getting ready to host its record 10th U.S. Open and a course with a longtime reputation for being as difficult as they come. All of which seems to suit the 31-year-old pro golfer/social media star just fine. His first U.S. Open title came in 2020 at Winged Foot, the course best known for producing the 1974 'Massacre at Winged Foot' along with Phil Mickelson's meltdown in the trees and trash cans more than 30 years later. Then, last year, that bunker at Pinehurst. What would golf's everyman say to his millions of YouTube followers who someday might encounter their own version of the 50-yard bunker shot, widely recognized as one of the most difficult in the game, even under normal circumstances? 'The best piece of advice I give them is, just practice in weird, unique situations for maybe an hour a week, 20 minutes, whatever,' DeChambeau said. 'But try to be different and don't just hit the same stock shot every time.' A history-making shot in a tournament that does not produce them All the major championships have their own personalities. The Masters produces roars through the pines during back-nine charges on Sunday. The British Open is a brittle links-style test where players have to think differently about getting from Point A to Point B. America's golf championship has a reputation for forcing the best players to suffer like the rest of us. As a result, the list of 'greatest shots of all time' at the U.S. Open is a short one: — Ben Hogan's 1-iron on the 72nd hole that helped force a playoff at Merion in 1950. — Arnold Palmer's lash with driver to the first green at Cherry Hills in 1960. — Jack Nicklaus' 1-iron that hit the flagstick on No. 17 at Pebble Beach in 1972. — Tom Watson's chip from the rough on the same hole 10 years later to beat Nicklaus. — Tiger Woods' 12-foot putt at Torrey Pines in 2008 to force a playoff he eventually won over Rocco Mediate. And now, there is DeChambeau's bunker shot. 'When he took this big swing, the amount of confidence that you have to have to hit it that close to the golf ball and not accidentally catch too much ball and send it on top of the clubhouse, it's a very fine line,' said NBC golf analyst Smylie Kaufman, whose biggest brush with pressure came when he played in the final group Sunday at the 2016 Masters. 'They work every single day, every week at these facets of the game in hopes they will have an opportunity to try it,' said Notah Begay, also of NBC. 'I think one of the most overlooked things about professional golf is all the calculation that happens on the fly in evaluating certain shots, which way the grass is lying, where the ball's going to land, and on top of all the normal things.' A tournament for everyone could come down to Bryson, Rory, Scottie Maybe the biggest irony is what the U.S. Open officially sells itself as, versus what always ends up happening. More than 10,000 players signed up to qualify for the U.S. Open which is, officially, open to any professional, or amateur with a handicap of 0.4 or lower. There will be good stories to tell among those who went through qualifying to make the 156-man field: a 17-year-old high schooler from Georgia, a dentist in Indiana who used to caddie at Oakmont. The cold facts: The last man to run the gauntlet of local and sectional qualifying to win the title was Orville Moody in 1969. (Lucas Glover went through sectional qualifying only when he won in 2009.) By the time the sun starts going down on Sunday, the tournament almost certainly will come down to a handful of players who virtually all golf fans have heard of. Though Scottie Scheffler is playing the best right now and Rory McIlroy recently won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, it's plausible to think that DeChambeau captures the attention of more of those fans than anyone. He recently surpassed 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He is making golf feel like everyman's sport, posting videos in which he makes a hole-in-one with a wedge shot over his house, plays with off-the-rack clubs to see how they stack up and tries to beat a scratch golfer while playing left-handed. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. All of it sounds nutty, but it all goes back to that piece of advice he offered when asked how to replicate the improbable under impossible circumstances — i.e., a 50-yard bunker shot with the U.S. Open on the line. 'Once you get a stock shot down and you're comfortable with it, go have some fun,' DeChambeau said. 'Do a chipping contest with your amateur friends and throw it in the bunker from 50 yards, or throw it in a bush and see if you can get out. Stuff to that extent has suited my game very well.' ___ AP Sports Writer Ben Nuckols contributed to this report. ___ AP golf:


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Ageless Marchand plays hero for Panthers in Game 2 of SCF: ‘He's a beauty'
Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his game-winning goal against the Oilers with Jesper Boqvist (70) during the second overtime period in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in Edmonton on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Brad Marchand slipped a puck under Stuart Skinner's pad on his own rebound. That effort off the stick of the Florida Panthers winger dribbled through Edmonton's crease and touched the post before being cleared to safety. That agonizingly close call in Friday's first overtime period came after Marchand connected on a short-handed breakaway in the second period. The 37-year-old didn't miss on his next chance. Marchand scored on another breakaway — this time in double OT — as the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-4 to even the Stanley Cup final 1-1. 'Pure excitement and adrenalin for the whole group,' he said in describing the moment before getting mobbed by teammates inside a stunned Rogers Place. 'We all knew we were one shot away … luckily it went our way.' Florida, which beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's final for the franchise's first title, recovered after Corey Perry tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation. 'We've always had a very calm team,' Marchand said. 'You draw from your experiences. We do a really good job of focusing on the moment.' His ninth and 10th goals all-time in Cup final play gave him the lead among active players. Marchand's performance came exactly 14 years after he scored short-handed in the 2011 final against the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo — the opposing netminder at the time and now special adviser for the Panthers — posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: 'Favourite player of all time.' 'Lu is awesome,' said the Halifax product. 'He's an incredible person. Happy to be on the team.' Marchand was acquired from the Bruins, who were eliminated by the Panthers from the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, at the trade deadline buzzer back in March. The fit has been seamless for a player that has made plenty of enemies throughout his career. 'Brad's an honest man,' said Florida head coach Paul Maurice, whose group dropped the series opener to Edmonton 4-3 in OT. 'He loves the game. He loves the people around him. He's very open, very gregarious. He (was) completely accepted. An incredibly positive human being. He's up and down our bench all the time just pumping tires, stays in the fight. He is going to be the same way at breakfast (Saturday) morning. He's just going to be jacked, high-fiving everybody at the table.' 'He enjoys the moment,' Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues added. 'He doesn't shy away from it.' Marchand's parents were in the stands Wednesday, with his mother was caught on camera celebrating her son's heroics. He was asked post-game to describe Lynn Marchand as a hockey mom. 'She is one that you need to put a muzzle on,' he said to laughter from reporters. 'She gets pretty amped up at the games. They've always been so supportive. I don't think any player in this league could say that their parents are not the main reason why we're here.' Marchand, who won the Cup in 2011 and also played in the 2013 and 2019 finals, has shown no signs of slowing down at age 37 in his 16th NHL season. 'He could play till he's 47 the way he's going,' Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Unreal player, unreal competitor.' Marchand's fifth career playoff OT goal tied Perry, Patrick Kane and Panthers teammate Carter Verhaeghe for the most among active players. The veteran forward also became the seventh player in NHL history to reach that number. 'He just finds a way,' said Florida defenceman Nate Schmidt, who had a couple of run-ins with Marchand earlier this season when he was still captaining Boston. 'I don't think it gets too big for him. He was one of our most vocal guys throughout the third and the intermissions. It doesn't seem like he ever gets too riled about it, which is something you need. 'He is a veteran presence guy that's got a ring. We're really lucky to have him.' Maurice called Marchand 'a unique human' that has found a new home as the best-of-seven series now shifts to South Florida. 'In the northern parlance,' said the coach, 'he's a beauty.' -- Joshua Clipperton This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
'Both teams are at the top of their game': Hockey analyst after Panthers even series in Game 2
Watch The Hockey News analyst Tony Ferrari discusses the performance of Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.