Holtby knows Price is right
WASHINGTON To Braden Holtby, the choice of who should headline Team Canada’s goaltending depth chart at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey seems fairly obvious. And no, the Vezina Trophy winner didn’t endorse himself.
“It’s out of my control obviously,” Holtby said. “All of us want to play, but if Carey (Price) is healthy, there’s no reason to not go with him. He has all of the experience internationally and the smart choice obviously would be that.
“I’m going to go there and play hard and support the team in whatever way possible, whether it’s playing or supporting another guy.”
In 2015, Montreal’s Price won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender and the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. The year before that, he helped Canada win Olympic gold in Sochi. His resumé, especially in international play, is impressive, but he played in just 12 games last season due to a knee injury. He hasn’t played since Nov. 25, but recently told NHL.com that he feels like his old self.
Holtby doesn’t have the Team Canada experience that Price does, this being a first for him as a professional, but the Saskatchewan native is coming off a historic season in which he tied Martin Brodeur for the single-season wins record with 48. That made him an obvious choice as one of Canada’s three goaltenders, joining Price and Chicago’s Corey Crawford.
What role Holtby will have for Team Canada is still unclear and he doesn’t seem too concerned either way. If Holtby’s hunch is right and Price is the team’s top goalie, then Holtby would likely be the backup. He’s maintained that the Capitals and returning to Washington healthy are his top priority. Holtby confirmed he suffered a knee injury in the first round of the playoffs, but he said it didn’t require any off-season procedures and is “all good now.”
With training camp for the World Cup starting next month and the actual competition cutting into the start of NHL training camp, Holtby has returned to the ice sooner than he normally would in his offseason training.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz will join Holtby on Team Canada as an assistant coach and eight Washington players, including Holtby, will be competing at the tournament in Toronto.
“It condenses the time we have before the season to make sure we’re on the same page here,” Holtby said. “So that’s going to be the main challenge.”