Photo: Bruce Bennett
On Sunday with the Caps leading the Rangers 3-2, Caps netminder Braden Holtby skated to the bench and pulled himself from the game with 2:18 remaining in the second period. It was a very worrying sight. Holtby, the team’s MVP through 45 games, is a very competitive player and would not voluntarily leave a game unless something major was happening.
Later we learned from the Capitals PR that Holtby left the game due to dehydration.
So just how bad was that dehydration? The Holtbeast talked about the incident with The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan Tuesday after the Caps’ morning skate in Columbus.
Holtby said he drinks 16-17 liters of water a day on game days. Said he left the game early because he had a vision-impaired migraine.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) January 19, 2016
Also (and this is fascinating), Holtby said it's not uncommon to lose 10-13 lbs during a game. Wears 60 lbs of equipment, so sweats A LOT.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) January 19, 2016
Big thanks to Holtby for sharing so much about his sweating and drinking habits. Said he started to lose vision before the Kreider goal.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) January 19, 2016
That sounds excruciating. And I’m talking about the drinking of all that water before a game. Good God. How can one bladder handle that much liquid?
Holtby, perfectly hydrated and well (as far as we know), will start tonight against the East’s worst team, the Blue Jackets. And hopefully Holtby will make it through the entirety of this game and get back to doing Braden Holtby things.
