Holan’s Agent Takes Shots

Milos Holan’s agent, Rich Winter, blasted Mighty Duck General Manager Pierre Gauthier and Coach Craig Hartsburg on Friday for releasing the defenseman without letting him play so much as a shift in an exhibition game.

Holan’s comeback after beating leukemia ended Wednesday when he was released. Rather than accept a minor league assignment, Holan decided to return to his native Czech Republic.

Holan, 27, was found to have leukemia during a routine physical examination before the 1995-96 season and underwent a lifesaving bone-marrow transplant in February 1996.

“When he moved from Ottawa, I guess [Gauthier] forgot his heart,” Winter told the Toronto Sun. “This should be a good story with a happy ending. [Holan] just wanted one opportunity to play a preseason game, that’s all. This was as much for fun as anything else, but it meant more to him than that. He trained and got ready for camp. He worked so hard. He wanted to find out for himself.

“Now, he’s going home. You want to know why? Ask Pierre Gauthier. Ask Craig Hartsburg. They didn’t give him an opportunity to play.”

Reached in Denver, where the Ducks play the Colorado Avalanche tonight, Gauthier said, “Look at all the Ducks did for this guy [Holan]. Remember the bone marrow search we put on? Rich Winter forgot about that. I’m actually flabbergasted that anything negative should come out of this.

“From our point of view, we’re proud of what we were able to do for Milos. It’s unbelievable to me what Rich Winter is saying. It’s mind-boggling.”