This article originally appeared in The Hockey News Oct 1, 2012/vol. 66, issue 05
BY BRIAN MCNALLY
Braden Holtby’s brilliant Stanley Cup playoff performance is behind him. Now the hard part begins.
At just 22, Holtby became the Washington Capitals’ starter in the post-season after injuries took out Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, the team’s top two goalies. His numbers in 14 playoff games were staggering: a 1.95 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in series against the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers, the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference. But as Holtby prepares for his first full season, little of that matters.
The Capitals have seen this before, after all. Their playoff starter the previous four years has yet to seize the No. 1 position the following season. They wonder if it will be different with Holtby. Vokoun was traded to Pittsburgh in June, but Neuvirth remains to challenge for playing time. “It was an emotional time when I got called up,” Holtby says. “There was a lot of adrenaline running through the body to keep me going. But where I had success last year in the playoffs was that I treated every game the same. That’s what I want to do this coming up year – not change anything, not put any added pressure on myself. I know what I’m capable of.”
Washington’s coaching staff, including director of goaltending Dave Prior and associate goaltending coach Olaf Kolzig, believed Holtby would succeed in the NHL. In 14 games as a fill-in the season before, he posted superior numbers (1.79 GAA, .934 save percentage) to both Neuvirth and since-traded Semyon Varlamov.
Holtby spent most of last season with the Capitals’ American League affiliate in Hershey before splitting time with Neuvirth over the final three weeks of the regular season as the Caps desperately fought to hold onto a playoff spot. Vokoun was already out with a torn groin. But in the second-to-last game of the season, Neuvirth went down with a left knee injury, too.
“The time when the team needed Braden to play well, he played well,” Kolzig says. “He goes into Detroit and Philadelphia and gets three out of four points. That speaks volumes about his character. Guys love playing for him. Going into the playoffs, the biggest question was consistency and he was rock solid from Game 1 against the Bruins right to Game 7 against the Rangers.”
But that calm, cool and collected goalie fans saw in the playoffs – Holtby’s first child, son Benjamin, was even born during the New York series – was a personality forged through years of work because Holtby was often far from it in junior with the Saskatoon Blades and in his first seasons as a pro. Combative on the ice and born with a perfectionist streak, Holtby once injured a teammate, and one of the Blades’ best offensive players, with a slash to the wrist after getting scored on during practice. “Him and I talked a lot about it,” says John Stevenson, Saskatoon’s goalie coach during Holtby’s final two seasons there. “What got him to that top level in junior was the very thing that wasn’t going to get him to be a pro.”
"I HAD SUCCESS LAST YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS BECAUSE I TREATED EVERY GAME THE SAME."
And so Holtby learned to control his emotions. He embraced relaxation techniques and how to recognize when he was getting upset about things beyond his control. It’s working. In the playoffs Holtby stood stone still with his arms crossed as Boston Bruins forward Rich Peverley took a fake swing at him with his stick. Holtby never flinched and didn’t retaliate.
After a few weeks off to enjoy being a new dad and rest some bumps and bruises, Holtby was back on the ice in early August and ready to face his next challenge. There’s been no veteran summer signing to knock him back to the minors this time, but no guarantee he’s the No. 1 goalie. “It’s a new thing to me – knock on wood – that I’ll be in one place the whole year,” Holtby says. “I’m looking forward to getting the family settled in and looking forward to a great season.” ■
