Home / News / Capitals dress emergency goalie Gavin McHale to back up Pheonix Copley, Braden Holtby is out

Capitals dress emergency goalie Gavin McHale to back up Pheonix Copley, Braden Holtby is out

By Brennin Weiswerda (@youripides) on November 14, 2018 | 6 Comments

Braden Holtby was supposed to be in net against the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday night. But not anymore. According to the Capitals PR, Holtby suffered an upper-body injury and Pheonix Copley will get the start.

With Holtby out, the Capitals will dress an emergency goalie, 31-year-old Gavin McHale, to ride the bench.

This will be a back-to-back for Copley, who let in two goals on 28 shots last night against the Minnesota Wild.

McHale is a goaltending coach for the University of Manitoba’s women’s hockey team.

According to the University of Manitoba’s sports website, McHale has played in college and the WHL.

Gavin McHale is the new Bison women’s hockey goaltender coach for the 2017-18 season. He is a certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Manitoba.

McHale’s playing experience includes stints with Seattle and Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League as well as Salmon Arm, Lloydminster and Portage in Tier 2 Junior. He played two years (2008-09, 2009-10) with the University of Manitoba Bisons men’s hockey team before moving into coaching.

McHale has worked with goaltenders of all ages and skill levels, including Junior, College and Pro goaltenders over the years and focuses on perfect execution of the fundamentals.

McHale works as a Strength Coach in Winnipeg and runs a fitness-focused website that can be found at: www.mchalestrength.com

Here, from hockeydb.com, are McHale’s stats:

The Caps previously employed video coach Brett Leonhardt as emergency backup goalie in 2008 and 2013.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Jets

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong

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