Derek Holmes (born August 15, 1939) is a Canadian retired ice hockey player, coach, administrator, and agent.
He served as captain of the Eastern Canadian national team during the late 1960s, and was the technical director of Hockey Canada from 1974 to 1980.
[4][5] Holmes played junior ice hockey for the Ottawa Shamrocks, and the Toronto St. Michael's Majors.
[3] Holmes began the 1962–63 season on the Windsor Bulldogs in the OHA Senior A League,[2][3] then finished with the Kemptville-Prescott Combines team in the Ottawa District Hockey Association (ODHA).
[9] The team shared home games between Kemptville and Prescott, and won the ODHA Senior A championship in a three-game sweep versus the Ottawa Montagnards.
[9] Holmes returned to Europe between 1963 and 1966, playing for EC Kitzbühel in Austria, HC La Chaux-de-Fonds, EV Zug, and HC Ambrì-Piotta in Switzerland; was the most valuable player during the 1965 Spengler Cup tournament, and won a championship in the Swiss National League.
[10] He then joined the Canada men's national ice hockey team, when it was divided into western and eastern branches.
[7] Hockey Canada reorganized its structure in July 1976, and Holmes' title was executive secretary-treasurer at the time.
[15] Holmes scouted the competition at the 1976 Ice Hockey World Championships, and predicted that no country would dominate the upcoming 1976 Canada Cup.
[7] The Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union proposed developing a university team for the 1980 Winter Olympics, but Holmes thought that it would exclude deserving junior ice hockey players.
[19] Holmes supported Father David Bauer being put in charge of a committee for selecting a team for the 1980 Winter Olympics.
[26] He stressed that Canada needed to be disciplined on the ice, due to the lengthy trip, roster size, and style of international play.
[28] Holmes and Watters resumed the same roles in managing the 1978 World Ice Hockey Championships team.
[35] Holmes said later in an interview, that Eagleson never felt his actions were wrong, that he could do anything he wanted regardless of the opinions of others, and took credit where it wasn't due.
[36] Holmes was at the Hotel International Prague during the 1972 World Ice Hockey Championships, and said that Eagleson did not take part in the 1972 Summit Series negotiations, and was actually told to mind his own business.