The guitar and keyboard visible over Braden Holtby’s left shoulder might have driven home the laid-back Washington Capitals goaltender’s approach to the unexpected suspension of the NHL season.
There just isn’t lots for a hockey goalie to do to replicate live game action without games and practices. Holtby likened the current break to his usual offseason approach, when he puts hockey aside altogether.
“I’m not doing much right now,” Holtby, 30, said on an NHL conference call Monday. “In the summer I take two months off completely anyway, just to try and get my mind completely away from everything. It’s gonna be tough once there’s kind of a game plan in play, where we have the time where we know we’re gonna come back, to figure out ways to see enough shots or see anything. They talk about three or four people per ice session. It’s gonna be difficult, but we’re all going to be in the same position.”
On the call with Holtby were Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray and St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who with Holtby have combined to win the last four Stanley Cups. They agreed that it wasn’t easy being a goaltender in quarantine, as opposed to forwards or defenseman who can at least practice skating and shooting from home.
“At first I was working out a little bit thinking it was going to be a short-term thing,” Binnington said. “And after you kind of realize it’s gonna be a little bit longer, I took some time for myself and kinda gave the mind a little break and picked it back up … Like they’re saying, I think we’re all in the same boat and you gotta get creative with what you’re doing. I think that we’ll have ample time to turn it back up when need be.”
It’s likely a strange time for Holtby, a pending free agent who is not guaranteed anything beyond the 2020 season — and even that isn’t technically guaranteed at the moment. The NHL is reportedly planning a return that would involve games held at a few hub locations around North America, including Edmonton, Canada, and Raleigh, North Carolina, but that is far from a done deal at the moment. A cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-20 season is not out of the question yet, and such a decision could spell the premature end of Holtby’s time in Washington.
The NHL’s moderator in charge of the conference call did not ask Holtby about his contract situation. But the goalie said he’s spending his time these days focused on his two children of “almost eight” and six years old — likely a welcome distraction from his uncertain future.
When the season was suspended, Holtby was in the midst of one of his statistically worst seasons as a pro, with career-worst marks in save percentage (.897) and goals against average (3.11 goals per game) in 48 games. Rookie Ilya Samsonov, on the other hand, usually looked impressive when he was placed between the pipes, and the general consensus has been that Samsonov is the Capitals’ goalie of the future.
But their No. 1 goalie for now is still Holtby, a fan favorite due in part to his performance in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and “The Save” he made in Game 2 of the Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Holtby was asked if he had a message for Capitals fans as the season suspension reaches its eighth week.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can and we are just as excited as everyone else,” Holtby said. “We miss it just like everyone else, but (the) important thing is that everyone stay safe right now so we can get back as quick as we can.”
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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