Latest news with #Holland
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Count Kings GM Ken Holland among those who prefer how NHL drafts used to be held
For Ken Holland, the Kings' decidedly old-school general manager, new isn't necessarily better. Take the NHL draft, for example. Holland presided over more than a quarter-century of drafts with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers, and they were generally held in one place, with everyone from the executives doing the drafting to the players being drafted on site. On Friday, for the first time in a non-pandemic environment, the draft was conducted semi-remotely, with the top 93 draft-eligible players and their families filling some of the seats in the half-empty Peacock Theater in Los Angeles while team representatives made their selections from their home markets. And whatever the league was attempting to accomplish with the decentralized format, other than saving on travel, it didn't work. After each pick was announced on a giant video board that took up two-thirds of the theater's massive stage, players made their way up the aisle to be greeted by commissioner Gary Bettman. They then pulled on a team jersey and hat before being led into the Draft House — a small virtual reality room in the center of the stage — for what amounted to a congratulatory Zoom call with the club's brass. The young men were celebrating the biggest moment of their lives yet they came off like Dorothy speaking to the Wizard of Oz. Much of it was awkward, especially when James Hagens, the eighth selection, was left waving at Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney after the audio in the Bruins' war room in Boston went mute. That was just one of multiple technical glitches that included echoes and timing delays that left players and executives talking over one another. When it became obvious the painfully slow-paced event would plod past 4½ hours, the Draft House was closed to some teams. Brady Martin, the fifth pick, didn't even bother to come to L.A. So when Nashville announced his selection — via a celebrity video taped at a golf course — the NHL showed a video of Martin working on his family's farm. Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov wouldn't even get that treatment. When he was announced as the 20th overall pick, the NHL had nothing to show, making Andreyanov the first no-show of the no-show draft. Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old defenseman from Hamilton, Ontario, who was taken with the No. 1 pick by the New York Islanders, said being part of video draft did not spoil his big day. 'I'm just honored to be picked,' said Schaefer who cried, alongside his dad and brother, when his name was called. 'I dreamt about it my whole life. It's such an honor. Especially the first pick overall.' For Holland, however, none of that counts as progress. 'I'm old and I'm old fashioned. So I like the old way,' said the Kings general manager, whose view was shared by other GMs around the league. 'You draft some player in the sixth round and all of a sudden you hear 'yay!' way up in the corner. It's him, it's his family, and they're all excited to hear [his] name announced by an NHL team. 'This weekend, to me, is about the young players.' Aside from the technical difficulties, the actual draft went largely to form. The Ducks, as expected, took Roger McQueen, an 18-year-old forward from Saskatchewan, with their top pick, the 10th overall selection. The Kings, meanwhile, traded their first pick, No. 24 overall, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After moving down seven spots they took right-handed-shooting defenseman Henry Brzustewicz, 18, a Minnesota native, with the penultimate pick of the first day. Round two through seven of the draft will be conducted Saturday. The Ducks, who had a top-10 pick for a seventh straight year, see the 6-foot-5 McQueen as a raw talent who can develop into a top-line center. 'He has a big body. But what goes along with that is his skill and skating ability,' said general manager Pat Verbeek, whose team has 10 picks this weekend. For the Kings, this draft was the first public move in what could be an intense couple of weeks. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and winger Andrei Kuzmenko are unrestricted free agents and the team would like to re-sign both before they hit the open market Tuesday. 'If we re-sign Gavrikov, there's not going to be a ton of change,' Holland said. 'If we don't, then there's going to be change.' Gavrikov, 29, emerged as a solid presence on the blue line, playing a career-high 82 games and posting the best goals-against average of the 17 defensemen to play at least 1,500 minutes. Former Kings GM Rob Blake made Gavrikov a contract offer last March, said Holland, who has since sweetened the deal twice. Replacing him, the GM said, could require a couple of signings. Kuzmenko, 29, re-energized the offense after coming over from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, with the Kings going 17-5 and averaging nearly four goals a game down the stretch. 'We like Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko likes it here; he likes his role,' Holland said. 'I'm talking to him. I talked two, three, four times this week with his agent. So we'll see.' Signing both players would put a big dent in the Kings' $21.7 million in salary-cap space. 'We have a lot of cap space but it doesn't take much and it's gone,' Holland said. 'We've got to figure out how we want to spend our money and they need to figure out how much money they can get.' Aside from Gavrikov and Kuzmenko, the Kings don't have many loose ends to tie up. The team is confident it can get forward Alex Laferriere, a restricted free agent, to agree to a short-term deal and it has to decide whether to re-sign David Rittich, an unrestricted free agent, as the backup to starting goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper. Two players who could be moving on are forward Tanner Jeannot and defenseman Jordan Spence, both of whom are looking for more ice time and may have to leave to get it.
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A British Summer Dessert That Doesn't Have to Be Perfect
Culinary legend has it that Eton mess — a mixture of whipped cream, broken meringues and fresh berries — was invented in the 1920s, when an overexcited dog crushed a meringue confection at the British boarding school that shares its name with the dessert. In reality, the recipe dates back at least to the 19th century, when it appeared on a menu served to Queen Victoria as Eton Mess aux Fraises. Either way, the sweet is quintessentially British and, for the fashion designer turned ceramics artist Henry Holland, 42, a delicious reminder of his childhood in Ramsbottom, a small town near Manchester where he often made Eton mess with his mother using berries from their garden. 'You can help with it when you're really young because the whole point is making a mess,' he says. On a warm day in June, Holland was preparing his own version — which features vanilla and orange blossom-flavored whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped mint — for the other ceramists working at his studio in Hackney, in East London. The serving vessel, a blue-and-white platter, was from his latest collection of gingham-patterned pottery, which also includes vases named for his favorite desserts: Battenberg, Pavlova and, of course, Eton. Holland first started working with clay when — after closing his 13-year-old fashion label, House of Holland, in 2020 — he took a class on a whim and quickly found himself 'addicted to the medium,' he says. He began posting pieces for sale on his Instagram page, and the London department store Liberty placed an order, prompting him to launch his own studio in 2021. With bold silhouettes and a bright color palette, the line is inspired by Holland's love for the Memphis Group and Art Deco design. He uses the Japanese technique of nerikomi — which involves layering and rolling together pieces of clay in various colors — to create swirling patterns. Over the past four years, Holland has expanded his offerings to include lighting, glassware, wallpaper and fabric, and he has plans to debut furniture in the near future. Still, his schedule remains less frantic than it once was: he aims to release one new collection every eighteen months, as opposed to the four per year expected by the fashion industry. The happy result: more time to host friends at his home in London's Victoria Park neighborhood, which he shares with his husband and business partner, David Hodgson, 43. In the summer, a simple garden salad and barbecued meats are often followed by heaps of Eton mess. 'It's always well received,' he says. 'Who doesn't love a bit of cream and sugar?' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba wildfire evacuee recalls harrowing journey of smoke and tears — and immense relief after month-long evacuation
FLIN FLON — Just past 8 p.m. on the day residents are permitted back into Flin Flon, a dark grey sedan kicks up dust on the gravel road along Jones Square outside city centre. The car comes to a stop on a parking pad surrounded by overgrown grass on the quiet residential street. A tall man with dark hair and sunglasses climbs out of the driver's seat and pauses for a moment to look at the log cabin with green trim in front of him. A wide grin stretches across Brett Holland's face; it's the first time he's seen his home in nearly a month. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Brett Holland returns to his home in Flin Flon on Wednesday. He doesn't savour the moment for too long. He read rumours on Facebook of looting in other communities emptied out due to wildfire and he needs to take stock of everything he left behind. The kayaks, bikes, quad and old trucks scattered across his front yard seem to be where he left them. 'My fishing gear is still here, that's what I was really worried about,' he quips, gesturing to a yellow bag with a rod poking out. The city's 5,100 residents were ordered out on May 27 with little prep time and many dropped everything and fled, including Holland. Last week, town officials decided the threat of a 370,000 hectare wildfire burning nearby was minimal and it was safe for residents to return home. At 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, RCMP removed the blockades into town so residents of Flin Flon, Denare Beach, Sask., and Creighton, Sask., could repatriate the communities. After a once-over of his yard, Holland clambers up the few steps onto his front porch with his 11-year-old commander shepherd, aptly named Commander, close behind him. A blue plastic ribbon tied to the railing signifies his home was cleared by the RCMP when they did a sweep of the community to ensure everyone got out as directed. Holland opens the glass sliding door from the porch into his living room and he breathes a sigh of relief: it doesn't smell like rotten produce or forgotten garbage. A pot of soup on the stove and some dishes on the counter will need a good scrub, but his guitar, TV and couch are just where he left them. 'It was terrifying leaving. When I got into Winnipeg I was thinking of everything I left behind,' he says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Brett Holland unloads the car after returning home. He gestures to two square urns on a side table inscribed with his parents' names. He glances over at the wooden trim around his daughter's room etched with dates and heights to keep track of how much she's grown. 'It's stuff you can't replace.' Unable to avoid it any longer, Holland opens the fridge door and is relieved. Some cut-up watermelon in a bowl has grown fuzzy spots and a carton of eggs needs to be thrown away, but the smell is bearable and cleanup shouldn't take long. 'I'll take it, could have been a lot worse,' he says. The 34 year old, who moved to Flin Flon on a whim from Fernie, B.C., nine years ago, remembers being out for a walk in May with his girlfriend when they noticed a plume of smoke in the distance. They chalked it up to a fire at the Creighton dump a few kilometers across the provincial border. A few days later, that smoke took over the horizon. 'The first couple days you just didn't know. It could have gone either way. You looked at the fire map and it wasn't looking good,' Holland said. When the evacuation order came down, his daughter Ellie, 6, was at school and he didn't know whether to pick her up or if she would be rushed home on the school bus. Holland packed a suitcase of Ellie's clothes, three shirts and a pair of pants for himself, an emergency kit and camping gear, picked up his daughter and hit the road to Winnipeg. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS About 5,100 Flin Flon residents were ordered out on May 27 with little prep time and many dropped everything and fled, including Brett Holland. After about six-and-a-half hours, he had made it as far as St. Laurent, about 80 kilometres from Winnipeg, but then the adrenaline wore off and they slept on the side of the road before finishing the drive the next morning. Holland hears he's among the first wave of people to return home. Friends tell him they're waiting until all stores and services are back online before making their way back, but Holland craved normalcy. After some cleaning, a long shower and longer sleep, Holland says he's ready to go back to work first thing Thursday morning. 'I want to work. My boss called me on the way home and said we need to restock all the stores,' he said. Holland works for Arctic Beverages and usually stocks Pepsi products across the city, but he's needed on the bread truck to fill grocery shelves in the coming days. 'I'm excited. It'll feel a little bit normal. I just want to get up, make a coffee, go to work and just have a regular day.' When he was staying at his brother's house in Winnipeg while evacuated, he paced around the home the first couple days, not knowing what to do with himself. After a while, he'd meet up with fellow evacuees at community barbecues in city parks organized by residents. He'd also run into them at malls. 'Just so we could deal with the shock of it all together instead of separately,' Holland said. 'That really helped.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Brett Holland takes stock of his belongings following the wildfire evacuation order. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. He is under no illusion this is the end of wildfire season. He knows a second evacuation is possible. He plans to pack a go bag and got tips from friends in Alberta who know — all too well — how to insurance-proof homes, after experiencing multiple wildfire evacuations themselves. He sheepishly admits he cried several times on the eight-hour drive home from Winnipeg. 'I just missed everybody. It was such a shock. And then you see everyone popping up on Facebook sitting on their porches and it's like, 'oh, we're all back,'' he says. 'We all made it.' Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kevin Holland's crazy pace continues with Daniel Rodriguez booking at UFC 318
Kevin Holland said he wanted to stay busy this year, and he'll do just that. Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) has been booked for a welterweight fight against Daniel Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) next month at UFC 318, which takes place July 19 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The card features a trilogy bout between the retiring local Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway for the BMF title. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the fight, and Holland confirmed the booking on social media. The UFC has not yet made a formal announcement of the bout, which first surfaced on social media. The two were booked to fight at UFC 279 nearly three years ago, but a weigh-in day abnormality pushed Holland into a new fight with Khamzat Chimaev, which he lost, and Rodriguez into a new fight with Jingliang Li, which he won. Holland has fought three times already this calendar year. In the UFC's first event of 2025, he was submitted by promotional newcomer Reinier de Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. But in March, he rebounded with a bonus-winning decision over Gunnar Nelson, and earlier this month he submitted Vicente Luque at UFC 316 for a second straight bonus. Rodriguez has bounced back from a rough patch of three straight losses to Neil Magny, Ian Machado Garry and Kelvin Gastelium with a decision win over Alex Morono this past fall and a third-round knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio in May. That was his first stoppage win in nearly four years. With the addition, the UFC 318 lineup now includes:
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump appears to be mocked by Dutch Queen on live TV
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has been accused of mocking the way President Donald Trump talked on live TV while he stood right next to her. Trump was spotted posing for pictures with the Queen and her husband King Willem-Alexander after he arrived in the European country for the NATO summit Wednesday. In a clip, the trio was seen smiling for cameras as Trump gave a thumbs-up while the King appeared to stand a bit closer to the commander-in-chief than his wife. Trump and the King made small talk and laughed a bit while Queen Maxima stayed quiet and continued to smile. 'That's the picture we want,' Trump said as the King told him: 'Well I hope you slept well!' 'It was great, the house is...' Trump replied as he smiled one last time before thanking everyone there. As he did so, Queen Maxima appeared to mock the way his mouth moved before turning toward the cameras. People quickly flocked to the comments after picking up on the Queen's response, as one wrote: 'I've never been a fan of our stiff monarchy, but Queen Maxima rocks it! Treat him like a baby.' Another said: 'Queeeen Maxima! Love her!' 'The Queen keeping her distance,' wrote another user. 'Looks like she has calculated how much separation from Trump she can achieve and be in the picture,' said another. While many people got a laugh out of the moment, others were not as happy with what the Queen appeared to do. 'How low can you stoop as the so-called queen of Dutch people who don't exist... despicable to the core...,' one wrote. 'Ooo. How creepy,' someone else commented. 'What a "queen",' said another. Trump joined other world leaders who are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for a family photo and welcome dinner ahead of a stacked day of meetings. But first lady Melania Trump did not join her husband for the trip overseas. His arrival comes amid a victory lap saying the U.S. president should be credited for facilitating a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after more than 10 days of back-and-forth bombings. Trump ordered a three-target strike on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday to back Israel in its efforts to stunt Tehran's development of nuclear weapons. He said on Monday that Israel and Iran approached him 'almost simultaneously' seeking an end to the missile fire. Trump then coordinated with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to work with Qatari mediators on a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Trump was already scheduled to attend the NATO summit amid the conflict. The red carpet was literally rolled out for Trump and other world leaders arriving in the Netherlands on Tuesday. NATO leaders were seen toasting each other and clinking drinks at a dinner ahead of an intense day of meetings.
