By MICHAEL J. HAPPY
FOXSportsDetroit.com
DETROIT — Ken Holland has been executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings since July 1997.
While holding those job titles, his Wings have won three Stanley Cups (1998, 2002 and 2008). Holland has won titles in both the pre- and post-cap era, and is considered one of the best GMs in all of sports.
On Sunday at Ford Field, not far from the Red Wings' home at Joe Louis Arena, Holland was booed by many of the 65,000 fans attending the Lions-Bears game.
He didn't fumble or throw an interception for the Lions, either. All it took for fans to let him have it was a big-screen image of him sitting in a stadium suite and smiling for the camera during a timeout.
The NHL and its players should take note of this occurrence before they meet — perhaps for the last time — to save the season Monday.
Up until recently, Holland's success and amicable personality made him a beloved figure in Detroit.
Now fans are booing him, even though he's really just a middle-man caught in the dispute between the players and owners.
That's how angry hockey fans have become over yet another lengthy NHL work-stoppage — nobody, not even Ken Holland in Hockeytown, gets a free pass.
