Holland: The Mayor of Hockeytown ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - In 1984, Wayne Gretzky was on his way to becoming the greatest hockey player ever. That same year, a 5-foot-8 goalie named Ken Holland was on his way to becoming one of the worst goalies ever: four games spread out over four years, no wins, 17 goals against. His pink slip was a mercy killing.

But Holland loved the game more than the game loved him, so he took a job as the Red Wings' Western Scout. This required driving to every frozen bandbox from Chilliwack to Flin Flon, Medicine Hat and Moosejaw -- places where you keep your car running in the parking lot during the game, or else you'll never be able to leave the game.

Holland didn't complain. He humbled himself to learn the art of scouting, and worked his way up the ranks until he became Detroit's general manager in 1997.

The Wings won the Stanley Cup that year for the first time since 1955. But a lot of teams win it once - and only once - like the Ducks and Canes and Lightning - oh my! Detroit, however, stands alone with four Cups over the last 12 years - and soon maybe five. No pro football, basketball or Major League Baseball team can equal that.

How did Holland do it? By using what he learned scouting in those miserable rinks. He had to. The system is set up to prevent dynasties. The more you win, the lower your draft pick. So, after lesser teams have snapped up their "can't miss kids," Holland and his staff have to find overlooked talent. Since the biggest and the baddest are long gone, the Red Wings try to find the fastest and the smartest, the guys who will work the hardest to play for a winning team - not for themselves.

They've found their current 29 players in three states, five provinces and eight countries -- from Alaska to Newfoundland, and all over Europe - even though everyone said you couldn't win with Europeans. In the locker room, you can hear six languages - all of them spoken by Stanley Cup winners.

These "leftovers" include seventh-round pick Henrik Zetterberg, last year's playoff MVP; Sixth rounder Pavel Datsyuk, the league's best defensive forward; and a third rounder named Nick Lidstrom. He was just 18 when they found him, and got so little playing time, the Wings' scout had to go to practice every day just to see him skate. He saw something no one else did.

Today Lidstrom is not only the Wings' captain, but the very best defenseman in the world. Worked out okay.

In all, other teams picked a total of 431 players before the Red Wings signed these three. Most of those 431 players are not only out of the playoffs, they're out of the game.

The Wings treat their players so well, they accept less to play here. Last year, star forward Marian Hossa played for the Penguins. They offered him a seven-year contract. The Red Wings offered one. Hossa took the Wings' offer - and is about to win his first Cup, over his former team.

Today, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky runs the Phoenix Coyotes, a team so bad they might move to Hamilton, Ontario. Kenny Holland is the mayor of Hockeytown.

So, here's to one of the worst goalies the game has ever seen - and the best general manager.

He's also the Great One now.
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