Dave Bolland was born in 1986 in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, and lived in the Mimico. He started playing hockey at the local Mimico Arena, where he played for the Queensway Canadiens.

He then played minor hockey for the Toronto Red Wings in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) from 2000 until 2002. The Redwings would go on to win the OHL All Ontario Bantam Championship with Bolland recording four points in the championship game.

Bolland was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to joining the Blackhawks full-time, Bolland played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Norfolk Admirals and Rockford IceHogs.

While playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Bolland helped the London Knights capture the 2005 Memorial Cup. He also competed at the 2006 World Junior Championships, where he helped Canada capture the gold medal.

Bolland has won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in both 2010 and 2013. He is currently property of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League.

Bolland earned the nickname The Rat for his ability to get under the skin of opponents, similar to the play of Ken Linseman, the first player to have the nickname.