Los Angeles Kings hire former Red Wings, Oilers exec Ken Holland to be their general manager

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Los Angeles Kings hire former Red Wings, Oilers exec Ken Holland to be their general manager

2025-05-15 03:43 Last Updated At：03:51

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Kings hired Hall of Fame hockey executive Ken Holland as their general manager on Wednesday.

The 69-year-old Holland spent the past year out of the NHL after leaving the Edmonton Oilers in June 2024. He ran the Oilers for five seasons following the end of his 22-year tenure in charge of the Detroit Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cup championships during his three decades with the organization.

Holland replaces Rob Blake, who left the Kings by mutual decision earlier this month after eight seasons in charge of their hockey operations. Los Angeles has reached a franchise plateau after earning four straight playoff appearances, but losing to the Oilers in the first round each time.

Holland, a former goaltender who played four NHL games, is among the most respected and most successful hockey executives of the past half-century. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 in the Builder category.

He built a perennial powerhouse in Detroit, repeatedly restocking his roster during the final 20 years of the Red Wings' remarkable string of 25 consecutive playoff appearances. That streak ended in 2017, and Holland left the Wings in 2019 to take over the Oilers.

Holland also had success in Edmonton, building a roster good enough to help Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after the Oilers' years of underachievement around the two superstars. The Oilers made five playoff appearances and reached two Western Conference finals and one Stanley Cup Final during Holland's tenure, falling in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers last June.

Holland doesn't have a rebuilding job on his hands in Los Angeles. Instead, he must figure out how to get more out of a talented roster that has enjoyed consistent regular-season success before running into the Oilers every spring.

Los Angeles hasn't won a playoff series since raising the Stanley Cup for the second time in 2014. The current Kings matched the franchise records for victories (48) and points (105) this season, but lost four straight playoff games to Edmonton after winning the first two at home.

Kings President Luc Robitaille said last week that his new general manager would have final say on the fate of Los Angeles coach Jim Hiller, who took over in February 2024 and led the Kings to two playoff appearances. Robitaille also said he was quite confident Hiller would be retained by the next GM.

Hiller worked for Holland in the 2014-15 season when he was an assistant coach on Mike Babcock's staff with the Red Wings. Babcock and Hiller moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs the next season.

Holland is the 10th general manager in Kings history and only the fourth since 1997 for the Second Six franchise.

Blake replaced Dean Lombardi, who built Los Angeles' two Stanley Cup championship teams during 11 seasons in charge. Blake restored the Kings to playoff caliber, but Robitaille said Blake agreed that a new direction was best for the franchise after its latest first-round ouster.

Holland must make decisions on unrestricted free agents, including defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who energized the Kings and their struggling power play when he arrived in a late-season trade.

He also must consider the fate of 36-year-old defenseman Drew Doughty, who missed much of last season with an injury and is due to make $11 million in each of the next two seasons with his only NHL team.

Los Angeles still has an impressive roster of veterans under contract, including Anze Kopitar. The Kings' longtime captain said he intends to return for his 20th season with the club.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.