Paul Holmgren

Paul Howard Holmgren ( born December 2, 1955 in Saint Paul, Minnesota ) is a retired American professional ice hockey player and since 2006 General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League.

Career as a player

Holmgren was elected in WHA Amateur Draft in 1974 as a total 67 players from the Edmonton Oilers. Since the WHA rights to the players to the Minnesota Fighting Saints were cast, he never played for Edmonton. During the NHL Amateur Draft 1975 elected to the Philadelphia Flyers as a total of 108 players. In the 1975/76 season Holmgren began his career as a professional hockey player for the Fighting Saints, but the team on 27 February 1976 resolved. Shortly after, he signed with the Flyers and a month later he made his debut in the National Hockey League. In his first season, Holmgren injured in a game for the AHL farm team the Flyers, the Richmond Robins, heavy. The cornea of his eyes was injured, so he was taken immediately to a Boston hospital. Due to an allergic reaction to the anesthesia the winger almost died.

The following eight years were spent in the squad Holmgren the Flyers. In game 2 of the playoffs - finals of the 1979/80 season he became the first BORN in the United States player ever hat-trick in an NHL finals. In the following season he was nominated for the first and only time for an NHL All-Star Game. Halfway through the 1983/84 season Holmgren has been released to the Minnesota North Stars.

NHL stats

Career as a coach and manager

Holmgren rose immediately after the end of his career as a player in the coaching business and became assistant coach of his former team, Philadelphia Flyers under Mike Keenan. After Keenan was fired at the end of the 1987/88 season, Holmgren was the first former player the opportunity to attend the Flyers. In Holmgren first season, his team was beaten only in the finals of the Prince of Wales Conference in six games to the Montreal Canadiens. After two disappointing seasons in which the playoffs were missed, the Flyers released him in the midst of his fourth season as head coach. In the years 1992 to 1996, Holmgren was four years at the Hartford Whalers as head coach and interim general manager.

Over the 1995/96 season Holmgren returned as director of scouting department to the Philadelphia Flyers. After the 1996/97 season, Holmgren was appointed sporting director of the Flyers. From the season 1998/99 he assisted the Acting General Manager Bobby Clarke until his resignation during the game year 2006/07. Then Holmgren received the position he continues ever since.

Awards and achievements

Records

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