Holtby’s been doing more than sitting on a couch
caps’ goalie involved in Black Lives Matter
It was a month ago when Braden Holtby was asked in an online Zoom conference call how he had been spending his time in self-isolation.
His answer: “I’m not doing much right now, to be honest.”
Full marks for being honest. But to an outsider, it gave the impression the Washington Capitals goalie was spending his days lazing around, munching on Doritos and watching his beard grow. Even Holtby laughed at the image he was inadvertently conveying.
“I think that got taken as I was just sitting on my couch doing nothing, which isn’t the case,” he said in another Zoom call on Friday. “But in the summer, I get off the ice so I’m kind of used to it that way.”
In other words, Holtby is still very much in off-season mode.
That will end on Monday, however, when Phase 2 of the NHL’S Return to Play takes effect and the 30- year- old hits the ice. But with three months from the last time he played a game, how long will it take before he can glove an Alex Ovechkin slap shot?
According to at least one goalie coach, it depends on whether Holtby was really a couch potato or not.
“It’s going to be a challenge, for sure. There’s no doubt about that,” said Andy Chiodo, the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending development coach. “Tracking the puck, the timing, the pace, all that stuff is going to be a challenge to get back. Assuming you have no access to ice, mobility and stability is very important. During this time, goalies could have executed a full off- season workout without ice. They could be priming their body and strengthening their stabilizing muscles. That’s going to prevent injury.”
This season had already been a strange year for goaltenders, with many of the top ones posting some of their lowest numbers of their career. Holtby, along with Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray and San Jose’s Martin Jones, rank in the bottom-10 in save percentage.
Now that the season is back on, the position remains an even bigger wild card.
While skaters have been shooting pucks on their driveway and rollerblading, goalies are pretty much limited to catching a tennis ball thrown against a wall to keep their reflexes sharp. It means the David Pastrnaks and Auston Matthews of the hockey world could have a significant advantage when players return to the ice.
But because goalies will be allowed to bring their goalie coaches on the ice during Phase 2 — head coaches are not allowed back until training camps open in Phase 3 — Holtby doesn’t expect that advantage to last long.
“That’s an advantage we have over the skaters, I guess,” said Holtby. “So I’m not too concerned that way, because I know once (Scott Murray, the Capitals goalie coach) is on the ice we can get a lot accomplished in a little amount of time. I find it harder in a normal year when you don’t have that structure of having a goalie coach there and you’re just kind of going through the other drills that you know skills coaches put on.”
Chiodo agrees it shouldn’t take goalies long to get their timing back. After all, this time away isn’t much different than a typical off-season, when most goalies tend to take the summer completely off.
“A lot of guys will start back the first week of August and then ramp right up,” said Chiodo. “Everyone is certainly different. There’s a lot of benefit as well in taking that time off and re- patterning the way your muscles fire. When you look at the timeline, this represents an off- season. There was an opportunity here amidst the challenges and the chaos for rest and re- energizing. With Phase 2 starting, there’s more than enough time to progress.”
For Holtby, the pause in the season might have come at the perfect time. Goaltending is as much mental as it is physical. And with a 3.11 goals- against average and a .897 save percentage, it appeared the stress of playing in a contract year and battling rookie Ilya Samsonov for the net was affecting him.
With the break, Holtby’s taken a step back. But it’s not like he’s sitting around. Instead, he’s put his mental energy into something other than stopping pucks.
The native of Lloydminster, Sask., has become involved in the Black Lives Matter protests, with him and his wife Brandi issuing statements on the racial inequalities that continues to exist in our society. He’s also put his life in perspective. Holtby said his daily thoughts are not on where he might play next year or how much he might make. With the coronavirus disrupting life, the father of two is more concerned if it will be safe for his kids to go to school.
As for the playoffs, he’ll be ready when the time comes.