Well, who would have thought that?
According to a report from Sportsnet, it was none other than Ken Holland who was the leading force behind Steve Yzerman's return to the Red Wings to take over his position, and has been working on it for months.
I'm told the architect of Yzerman's return to the Red Wings is Ken Holland. He has been working on this for the past 3 months.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) April 19, 2019
Of course, it was Ken Holland who declined this move the first time around in 2010. Red Wings ownership allegedly wanted to tap Yzerman as the successor to Holland, who didn't want to move “upstairs” just quite yet. Yzerman then went to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and for the past nine years, has built them into a powerhouse and yearly contender for the Stanley Cup.
Holland, who has been the team's GM since 1997, was asked earlier this month on 97.1 The Ticket about remaining with the Red Wings.
“That’s a great question,” Holland said. “I don’t have an answer for you. But I am a proud, proud Red Wing and I love being a Red Wing and I love living in Michigan. We've put roots down. I love the fans, I love the people that work for the Red Wings, I love the young players.
“Certainly would be very difficult for me to leave.”
