Wings owner Christopher Ilitch makes statement on the future of Ken Holland.

The Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades and there has been a great deal of variance in the reaction from the fan base. 

While everyone is obviously greatly disappointing there are two distinct sentiments being put forward. The first being that the Red Wings should stay the course, suggesting that team management has earned the opportunity to rebuild the roster after such a long history of success.

The other line of thought however is quite simple, and has been arguably been the most vocal even if it does not represent the majority of the Red Wings fan base, and that line of thought has called for one thing "fire general manager Ken Holland."

On Tuesday Red Wings owner Christopher Ilitch shared his thoughts on the matter, and as well all know his thoughts are the ones that truly matter.

“First and foremost, my mother and I are exceptionally passionate about the Detroit Red Wings and very, very competitive,” Ilitch said as per Red Wings insider Helen St. James of the Detroit Free Press. “That burning, competitive desire runs deep in the Ilitch organization. And I know Ken Holland has that same passion to win, to build a championship team again here in Detroit. I know our players have that passion. We certainly have it as an ownership group.

“We are all disappointed in this season. From an ownership perspective, I know Ken Holland is disappointed, our coaching staff is disappointed, and I know the players are disappointed. Having said that, we have 100% confidence in Ken Holland. He is an excellent general manager and executive vice president.”

Based on this statement, it sounds like the Ilitch family is very intent on staying the course, and again given their long history of success, it's hard to blame them for not making any drastic changes.