Former Red Wings GM Ken Holland (who now runs the Edmonton Oilers) and Edmonton Oilers executive Kevin Lowe were supposed to be part of the 2020 class of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. Instead of holding a remote induction, the NHL chose to delay full, public inductions to 2021, and.
In the interim, Holland told the Edmonton Sun’s Terry Jones that the he’s been able to catch-up on his thank-yous, and the HHOF managed to make sure that the inductees of the now-delayed class of 2021 feel special:
For Holland, he said the Hockey Hall of Fame did one thing before everything else that will be involved in the induction weekend that will now be next year, which made it feel real.
“They unveiled the plaque to my wife and I. They did it virtual about a week to 10 days ago,” he said. “For me it’s been a lifetime achievement to get that and what happens next November will be mostly a chance to celebrate with my family and people that have really been special and had a lot of impact in my career.
“I’ve got the date for next year and I’m really looking forward to celebrating the night before with a party for my family and friends. We’ll do it up right but it will be a year from now.”
Holland said he’s been to enough induction nights to know what’s involved.
“A lot of the Red Wings went in. Mike Ilitch, Steve Yzerman, Dominik Hasek, Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom, Igor Larionov, Jim Devellano … and it’s a wonderful night. Obviously, there are the speeches and everything but so many of the people who are in the Hall come there every year for that weekend.
“I can’t wait, but the way everything is in the world right now, I’m quite happy that we’re going to wait and be able to do it right like they always do it.”
