Following the Washington Capitals’ overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday night, goaltender Braden Holtby spoke to the media and was asked about whether or not he would be visiting the White House on Monday.
Holtby’s answer suggested that he had come to a decision on if he would be going to the White House, but is planning to address that decision after the game.
By Donya Abramo 5 months ago
The pre-game routine the Washington Capitals have in the hallway before a game is well-documented and strange. There’s fist-bumps, yelling, invisible saxophones, and cup-checks. All of which serve to amp up the players just before they hit the ice.
That is, as long as they don’t hit the ice face-first.
Saturday evening in Tampa, Braden Holtby almost ate it while leading the team out onto the ice. Holtby was leading the charge when he tripped. That caused Alex Ovechkin to stumble and then there was a chain reaction.
By Elizabeth Kong 5 months ago
After the Washington Capitals historic Stanley Cup win, fans across the world continue to express how much the team’s success means to them through some incredibly creative avenues.
We’ve seen Stanley Cup tributes as tattoos, paintings, NASCAR helmets, makeshift scarecrows, personalised license plates, and corn mazes.
Now, one graffiti artist has taken it to another level by spraying a mural of Braden Holtby outside the Capitals goaltender’s hometown of Lloydminster.
The story behind it is truly inspiring.
By Donya Abramo 5 months ago
Fredericksburg, VA — “Oh my god, that’s our baby,” Katie Taylor said as she saw her newborn son for the first time. Katie turned to Brandon, the love of her life. “We did it,” she said.
“You did it,” he said smiling back.
Cradling him in his arms for the first time, Dad told his son, “Welcome to the world. You will be loved forever.”
“He’s in perfect health,” the family said in a text message announcing the birth of their 7-pound, 12-ounce baby on March 7 at 4:59 pm in Fredericksburg, Va. “Mother and daddy are thrilled and exhausted. He’s the most perfect baby in the world!”
He’s also the most perfect example of a phenomenon known as a Stanley Cup Baby, arriving nine months to the day of the Capitals winning the franchise’s first championship.
That singular moment changed lives. It also created others.
The Washington Capitals struggled to put a shorthanded New Jersey Devils team away Friday night at Capital One Arena. Thankfully, it didn’t matter because Braden Holtby was a brick wall.
The Holtbeast made 25 saves in the Capitals 3-0 win over the Devils.
The shutout was Holtby’s 35th of his career, tying him with Olie Kolzig for most in franchise history. Two nights earlier, Holtby became the second fastest goaltender in NHL history to record 250 wins.
By Ian Oland 6 months ago
Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby contributed an article to the Players’ Tribune Wednesday morning ahead of winning the 250th game of his career later that night. Holtby is now the second quickest goaltender to 250 wins.
The nearly 4,000 word article is full of endearing anecdotes about likely the greatest goaltender in franchise history. Holtby talks openly about his family’s farm and how poor of a farmer he actually was. He also gives a glimpse into his early childhood, which he describes as awkward, and what life lessons he learned in hockey along the way to become a zenmaster at the NHL level. And, oh yeah, he reveals the full story behind the team’s Stanley Cup tattoos and their addiction to Mario Kart.
Here are the 10 best things I learned from the Players’ Tribune article.
By Elizabeth Kong 6 months ago
Braden Holtby reached an incredible milestone Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Holtby earned the 250th win of his career, becoming the second fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach that mark.
The only player to accomplish the feat quicker is Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden who did it in 381 games.
According to the Capitals PR, Holtby is the 56th goaltender in NHL history to reach the 250 win milestone and one of only 12 active goaltenders to do so.
By Ian Oland 6 months ago
Everyone remembers the joyous days that followed the Capitals’ first Stanley Cup. The team attended a Nationals game where Alex Ovechkin threw out two ceremonial first pitches. The team then took the championship trophy to the Georgetown Waterfront where they invented the Cup stand and swam in the fountains.
One small, but overshadowed part of the night was when several members of the team, who appeared to be inebriated, got tattoos.
In an article in the Players’ Tribune, Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby shared more details about that night and recalled what TJ Oshie said to him at the waterfront.
“We’re doing it, dude. I’m getting a Wario tattoo,” Oshie said according to Holtby’s article. “I’M GETTING A WARIO TATTOO! HOLTS! CALL THE TATTOO GUYS!”
By Ian Oland 6 months ago
I write a lot of game recaps, and those recaps have a section where I summarize all the goals that got scored, and I realized lately I’ve been using the word “rush” a lot in that section. For example, on Tuesday two of the three goals Columbus scored came on the rush, continuing a pattern we’ve been seeing all season.
The Caps have problems with their transition game, and they’re paying for it on defense. Whatever Brian MacLellan does to improve the team between now and the deadline should be paired with fixes to the x‘s and o‘s of Washington’s neutral-zone system.
By Peter Hassett 6 months ago
With Pheonix Copley’s new three-year, $3.3 million deal signed Tuesday, Washington’s goaltending situation at the NHL level might get a bit more crowded in the coming years.
Braden Holtby, who is a free agent in 2020, was asked about his impending unrestricted free agent status after Monday’s practice.
By Julia Karron 7 months ago
