Edmonton Oilers’ Ken Holland serves 2,000th career game as NHL General Manager

Edmonton Oilers’ Ken Holland accomplished a milestone on Tuesday night as he served his 2,000th NHL game as a general manager.

Holland celebrated his achievement on Wednesday night alongside a 5-4 Oilers victory at Rogers Place against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Holland now joins a profound list of general managers to achieve this feat, starting with Nashville Predators GM David Poile (3,075 games played), New York Islanders Lou Lamoriello (2,776), Oilers legend Glen Sather (2,700), former Boston Bruins GM Harry Sinden (2,234), and former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher (2,055).

Holland joined the Oilers organization on May 7th, 2019, taking over for interim general manager Keith Gretzky after Peter Chiarelli was dismissed. Holland has served as general manager and president of hockey operations for the past four years.

Ahead of his time with the Oilers, he pursued a role with the Detroit Red Wings, starting with the 1985-86 campaign as an amateur scout. He was awarded the position of director of amateur scouting in 1987 and held that role for the following six years. He was promoted once again to assistant general manager of the Red Wings and general manager of the former American Hockey League team, the Adirondack Red Wings (later replaced by the Adirondack Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League in 2015).

Finally, in the 1997-98 season, he was announced as the club’s new general manager, assuming the role for the next 21 years. His impact on the Red Wings was transformative as the team clinched four Presidents’ Trophies and three Stanley Cup Championships (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02) during his tenure.

Furthermore, his impact on the Oilers’ organization has also been notable as he continues to guide and shape a franchise hungry to bring the Stanley Cup back to the once City of Champions.

The Oilers’ win on Tuesday night gives them a record of 8-12-1 with a three-game win streak. The team will travel to Winnipeg to take on the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night.